


Egg Laying And Other Joys Of Being Part Bird

by Heartsprout (graygryphon)



Series: Heartsprout's Hybrid AU [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Anal Sex, Anxiety Attacks, Bison!Burnie, Butt Plugs, Dom/sub, Egg Laying, Emetophobia, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fox!barbara, Hare!Ray, Heartsprout's Hybird AU, Hybrid - Freeform, Hyper Sexuality, IDK MY GUY, Its gona get weird, Light Angst, Mood Swings, Morning Sickness, Mpreg, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Oral Sex, Oviposition, Pregnancy, Sex Toys, Slightly Less Light Angst, Smut, Sugar Glider!Jeremy, Threesome, Threesome - M/M/M, Vomiting, bird!gavin, bull!Ryan, cat!Michael, dog!Lindsay, lion!Jack, ram!Geoff, wolf!Dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-11 09:05:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7041841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graygryphon/pseuds/Heartsprout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All bird hybrids lay an egg twice a year; that’s just a fact of life</p><p>But this is the first time it’s happened since Gavin joined the herd</p><p>How will they adjust to this new occurrence in their lives?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unusual

Gavin was stretched out on the couch, flicking through the TV channels with a bored expression.

He could hear Ray streaming upstairs in the office, the occasional hollering traveling through the closed door.

He pondered sneaking up there and sitting in the corner to watch. He was outrageously bored, it was almost painful.

But after the incident involving a power cord and Gavin tripping over it, shutting down the entirety of Ray’s station, he had been banned by the hare-brid from being in the office while he streamed.

He glanced at his phone on the coffee table, frowning at the lifeless screen. Not a single text all day. Not even from Barbara, a fox hybrid that worked at rooster teeth.

Gavin had met her when he first visited the offices and they were instant friends. She had been the one that insisted he work at the company. She had been pushing for a full-time employment, but he had refused, instead just working on projects the company did now and then.

He loved doing work with the company; they were all such interesting creative people. Burnie was hilarious, instantly connecting with the bird. It was at the stage where they had an inside-joke where they kicked their shoes at each other in sneaky ways. Burnie had an advantage, knowing the building better than Gavin, but Gavin was cunning and good at slipping into small spaces to catch the bison-brid unaware.

There were so many great personalities there and there was also another great thing; most of the hybrid’s that worked there would walk around _always_ presented! Tails and ears everywhere, claws and quills worn proudly. It was so relaxed, there was no friction between the hybrids and humans. Burnie had explained quite soon after meeting that they tried to foster a friendly and open environment at the company, with anyone intolerant of anyone else for whatever reason not lasting long as an employee.

Gavin loved spending time there, but he also enjoyed down time and not having to work every day.

And having 5 mates with incomes made it quite easy to achieve this.

But times like this, when time seemed to crawl and YouTube was only interesting for so long, it got pretty dull hanging around the house.

Gavin dragged himself to his feet and wandering over to the kitchen, gazing into the fridge with hooded eyes. Sure; he was thin, but he really didn’t need to start boredom eating.

He gazed over at the clock.

3 pm.                                                                                                                                                                           

“Bugger this” he muttered.

He grabbed his phone and wandered up to the bedroom. He grabbed his headphones off his draws and connected them to his phone before dropping onto the bed, crawling to the head and flopping down.

He turned on a song he had discovered recently, closing his eyes and planning to just doze for a while.

\--

_Calloused hands pressed him down into the sheet, thumbs pressing into his shoulder blades._

_He groaned, raising up his ass and whimpering._

_A huffed laugh from behind him_

_“Mmm, such a good little bird for me, aren’t you?”_

_“Ohhh… Please!” he moaned, curving his back and spreading his knees wider._

_There was another chuckle before a heavy pressure pushed at his hole._

_“Haahh!” he cried out, moaning wantonly as the width pushed in and out of him._

_“Yeah, take all of me, just like that” the husky deep voice spoke._

_“Hnnn… please… i-inside of me!” he pleaded._

_There was a deep, territorial rumble behind him before thick heat was filling him up._

_“Ohhh fuck!” he keened, warmth spreading against his stomach as there was a sharp pressure against the back of his shoulder._

_…mmm, sweet boy…_

_…mmm Gavin…_

_...Gavin…_

“Gavin!”

The bird jolted, launching up onto his elbows as he looked around, panic on the edge of his mind.

“Dude, did you have a wet dream?” Ray snickered, looking at Gavin's crotch. Gavin frowned, looking down confused.

A wet patch was sitting in the fabric at the crotch of his pants.

Ray was too quick for the pillow that launched at him.

“Oh my god, get out!” Gavin squealed, scrambling from the bed and making for the en suite, feeling like his face was on fire from embarrassment.

What, was he twelve?! He creamed his pants from a dream!

“Hey man, it’s a totally normal thing for a boy your age. Puberty is a beautiful, natural occurrence” Ray giggled madly

“Shut up!” Gavin growled from the bathroom as he stripped his shorts and pants, grabbing a towel from the shelf and wrapping it around himself. He hoped Ray hadn’t noticed he was still a little hard.

“You may notice hair growing in weird places; that’s also normal” Ray continued, wheezing with laughter.

“I presented before you!”

Ray was still hooting as Gavin sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

“Man, don’t worry about it; I won’t tell the others”

“Yeah, I actually believe that” Gavin grumbled sarcastically.

“Nah bro, swear to god. I just came to tell you dinner is ready”

Gavin's head snapped up.

“Wait, what?” Gavin asked.

“Jacks finished cooking, it’s getting served now so hurry up” he said, Gavin hearing him leave the room.

Gavin peeked out the door before padding over to the bed and snatching up his phone.

“6:00 pm!” Gavin hissed under his breath, looking around. It only just occurred to him that the window was black, it already dark outside.

He had slept for 3 hours?! He had only meant to take a quick nap to pass time.

He pulled on a pair of boxer briefs sitting on the chair they used as an impromptu clean-washing-dump. They were apparently not his, the waistband not hugging his waist quite right, but he didn’t care all that much, skipping down stairs and into the kitchen where everyone was already seated.

“Hey sleeping beauty” Geoff chuckled when he noticed Gavin.

“Why didn’t you wake me when you got home?” Gavin asked confused as he took his seat, Jack setting his plate in front of him.

Geoff shrugged.

“You looked so peaceful so we left you alone” Jack said, taking his seat as the herd started eating.

It was safe to guess that Ray _had_ kept the ‘accident’ a secret or they would have all taken turns to wail him with it the second he entered the room.

“I fell asleep at 3 though” Gavin said, eyebrows dipping together as he picked up his fork and took a mouthful.

 _He hadn’t realised how hungry he was_.

“Whoa, slow down” Michael chuckled, watching Gavin shovel food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow.

“I finished streaming at 4-ish, and I didn’t know when you had gone to bed, so I took the silence as a gift from god and got in some time on my DS” Ray said.

“Cause you _really_ have been lacking in that department” Geoff scoffed “you should just get it surgically implanted and save time”

“Dude; I would invest in that in seconds” Ray said, deadpan expression with intense eyes.

Gavin wasn’t really paying attention, head lowered and elbows on the table as he continued to scoop without barely enough time to chew and swallow.

Jack was eyeing him with distaste.

“I know you grew up feral, but I thought he had trained you better than that” Jack rumbled, a smile at the end.

“Don’t make him get the spray bottle” Michael said with a shiver.

“Don’t tempt me” Jack chuckled. Gavin just slid his elbows off the table without pausing.

When he finally sat back satisfied, he had taken three helpings. Michael Ray and Ryan had already dissipated from the table to do various things, leaving Geoff and Jack to share a look of amused confusion.

“I’m glad you like my cooking so much” Jack grinned, standing and taking Gavin's plate to the bench “and as a sign of appreciation, you and Geoff can do the dishes”

Both men groaned loudly, Geoff letting his forehead thump down on the table.

“Ugh, _fine_ , but only cause I love you so much” Gavin sighed, poking his tongue at the lion when Jack grinned at him obnoxiously.

Gavin got started, rinsing the plates while Geoff collected his will to live and finally joined him, picking up a dish towel and waiting for Gavin to pass along things for drying.

They worked at the pile of things to be washed, chatting about the day’s events (or rather, the events of Geoff’s day seeing as Gavin's had be so uneventful)

As they cleaned, Gavin found it was getting hard to focus on Geoff’s tale about the time he crapped himself on the couch beside Ryan while playing Xbox.

As much as Gavin loved stories about Geoff humiliating himself to such an extent, there was a niggling sensation in his lower abdomen.

He didn’t realise Geoff had stopped talking for 30 seconds ago until he waved a hand in front of Gavin's face.

Gavin looked up confused

“What?”

“I asked you something. Are you ok?” he asked, raising a brow.

“Oh, yeah, I’m just…” Gavin didn’t actually know _what_ it was.

That is, until he reached for a dish and his crotch rubbed against the edge of the counter.

He made a small noise in his throat, curving forward slightly and gripping the bench.

_He was hard_

“Whoa, are you ok?” Geoff asked, confused by what he was seeing. Which apparently did not include the half-chub Gavin had in his pants.

“y-yeah” Gavin breathed, scrunching up his nose as he cautiously pressed a hand to the front of his underwear.

_Very hard_

“Uhhh, what are you doing?” Geoff asked, eyeing Gavin's wandering hand.

Gavin sighed, turning and moving his hand enough to let Geoff see the situation.

Geoff's mouth just hung open for a second before he closed it, teeth clicking together.

“Oh”

“Oh? You aren’t going to make a joke about dishes giving me a woody or something?” Gavin asked, hiding his crotch again.

“Wh- no!” Geoff said quickly, Gavin narrowing his eyes and turning away.

“Wait” Geoff said, placing his hands on Gavin's shoulder’s to stop him from leaving “I’m not going to mock you”

“Why not?’ Gavin asked, expecting a ploy to be in motion.

He then felt Geoff press up behind him, lowering his head to hover his mouth over Gavin's shoulder, one hand trailing down and around to Gavin's bulge.

Gavin gasped sharply, gripping at the bench for support as the wave of sensation made his knees shake slightly.

“It’s cute when you get all embarrassed like this” Geoff breathed beside Gavin's ear, making the birds blush deepen.

“sh-shut up” Gavin stammered, eyes closing and mouth gapping slightly as Geoff massaged Gavin's cock through his pants.

“Plus that noise you made was pretty hot” Geoff whispered, pressing closer and making Gavin aware that the gent was also getting aroused as the beginning of an erection pressed against Gavin's butt.

Gavin bit his lip, feeling far too excited already without understanding why.

“Fuck, Geoff” Gavin hissed under his breath, pressing back against the ram and reaching up to thread a hand around the back of Geoff's neck.

It was the rams turn to make a small noise, hands gripping to Gavin's waist.

“Wanna go to the bedroom?” Geoff said quietly, a smile in his voice.

“No”

Geoff froze.

“Wait, what?”

“No; fuck me here” Gavin said, his voice going up a pitch with need.

Geoff pressed his lips to Gavin's shoulder to try hold back a noise.

“God, Gavin, isn’t that a little…” Geoff tried to find the word.

“We’re all mated; no one will care” Gavin breathed, rolling his ass against Geoff's crotch softly and making the ram quiver slightly with each press.

“ _Fuck_ , when did you get so daring?” Geoff chuckled, swallowing thickly.

Gavin just continued his taunting motions against Geoff’s cock which was now straining heartily against the inside of his jeans.

A rumble of arousal came from deep in Geoff's chest, the ram taking a fraction of a second to glance around and confirm everyone else had moved upstairs out of the front room before throwing the rest of his reservations to the wind, pushing Gavin hard against the counter and pinning him with his own body, Gavin moaning as Geoff hungrily kissed at his neck and shoulder.

Gavin hummed and gasped whenever Geoff would let his teeth press to his skin, his cock pressing hard against the cabinet. He could already feel precome collecting in the fabric that rested against his tip.

“ _Fuck,_ Geoff, I need you” Gavin groaned, grasping at Geoff's arm that was supporting him against the counter.

Geoff's hands moved to Gavin's hips, pulling him back as he stepped away, one hand moving to press Gavin's chest down to the bench.

Gavin’s senses sparked, feeling Geoff's need and authority in every nerve.

“ _Yes, Geoff, fuck me!”_ Gavin whimpered, letting his legs spread more as Geoff reached under him to palm his cock more.

“You’re so hard, Gavvy” Geoff said with a needy growl at the end, the noise making Gavin's cock twitch excitedly.

Geoff took hold of the waistband on Gavin's boxer briefs, dragging them down as he pressed kisses to the small of Gavin's curved back.

A small thought in Gavin's mind questioned why he was indeed being so forward and carefree, but there was a bigger thought that needed Geoff's cock _now_.

Geoff dipped into a cabinet, reaching behind a collection of products to produce a small packet of lube. Gavin looked over his shoulder at Geoff, raising a brow as Geoff tore the packet open with his deep and squeezed the contents onto his fingers.

“There’s lube stashed all over the house. There will never be a repeat of the _cooking oil_ incidence” Geoff said with a small grimace, rubbing the lube between his fingers to warm it slightly before he ran a stroke over Gavin's hole and pressed a finger in.

Gavin keened, throwing his head back and gripping hard at the counters flat surface. Geoff's finger felt _fucking amazing_ , but…

“Add another” Gavin panted, pressing his chest back down to the bench. He felt Geoff's finger slow for a second in its pumping before another slipped in.

Gavin bit his lip hard, stifling the noise that bubbled up from his chest.

“Wow, you are already pretty stretched. Have you fingered yourself today already?” Geoff asked, fingers pumping deliciously, Gavin only able to shake his head while he moaned.

“So ready for me, so hot for me” Geoff breathed and Gavin nearly blew his load at that.

“ _Fuck,_ Geoff, I need your cock, _please_ ” Gavin whined, pushing back on Geoff's fingers desperately.

Geoff hissed a quiet _fuck me_ as he pushed down his jeans and pants before he lined up and sunk into Gavin with ease.

Gavin couldn’t hold back the elated cry that burst forth.

“Haahh, _Geoff-f-f, ohhh god yes…”_ he moaned, pushing back to try take Geoff deeper.

“God Gavin, you’re going to make me premature with all this desperation” Geoff groaned, panting as he began to pump in and out “it’s like you haven’t had sex in months”

It honestly felt like that, like Gavin hadn’t had someone inside him for years even.

_Despite the fact he had a wet dream an hour ago_

Gavin just let the noises fall out of him, throwing in desperate _harder_ and _faster_ pleas every so often.

He could feel himself building to climax quickly as Geoff pounded into him, fingers digging into Gavin's hips as the ram also let noises slip out as he fucked into the needy bird beneath him.

“Oh, _fuck_ , I’m gonna come” Gavin keened, feeling Geoff’s pace stutter slightly.

“Hnnn, _god, come for me Gavin_ ” Geoff groaned as his pace lost its pattern and he growled out a noise, spilling deep into Gavin.

Gavin's breath caught and he just trembled as he came hard, come shooting out and splashing down a cabinet door.

They both shook through their orgasms, Gavin's eyes rolling back in his head as his back arched down and he let out a long deep moan.

When the bliss subsided enough to think again, they both let their strained legs give way, dropping to their knees on the tile as they panted, Geoff's forehead pressed to Gavin's shoulder as he held him close, Gavin's head turned towards Geoff's and hand threaded in Geoff's hair.

“ _Holy dicks_ ” Geoff breathed, still seated in Gavin as the bird chuckled.

“You can say that again”

They both looked over sharply to see Michael leaning against the corner junction of the kitchen, amused grin on his face but a look of awe in his eyes.

“How long have you been standing there?” Geoff rumbled unimpressed.

“Long enough. That was hot” Michael chuckled, moving to the fridge to grab a Capri sun and then heading back upstairs.

Gavin waited to feel embarrassed. He felt confused when all he felt was an excited static in his stomach.

It was _thrilling_

“Well, I’m not looking forward to what Jack will say about this” Geoff sighed, pulling out of Gavin and then helping Gavin stand, pulling up his pants as he stood up too.

Gavin looked at his come trailing down the cabinet, wondering if it was a good or bad change in his attitude to sex.

_What is going on with me?_

He dragged his pants up, shuffling tiredly over to the couch, dropping down onto it despite Geoff grumbling about having to clean Gavin's load up for him.

Whatever Gavin's deal was, there would be time to figure it out tomorrow


	2. Would You Like Ketchup With Your Eggs?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new chapter high!
> 
> if you haven't read the first fic in this series i heartily recommend you do, cause it explains a LOT of things that will be mentioned in this fic that won't be fully explained
> 
> also the title of this chapter just made me laugh, its not entirely indicative of what happens in this chap which is mostly a biology lesson of how gavin is able to lay eggs etc
> 
> i've spent a long time thinking about all this, my guy, so i'ma write it down ya kno
> 
> go forth

Gavin frowned, scrunching up his nose and peeking an eye open.

_What had woken him up?_

He lifted his head and glanced to each side at his mates still sound asleep, the weak light of night time filtering in the massive window and over their faces.

He pushed himself to a sitting position, rubbing his eye sleepily as he spied the LED alarm clock on the side table.

“4am” he sighed, unamused. Even Ryan was asleep, pressed up against Jack’s back and breathing softly.

Geoff wasn’t snoring, and Ray wasn’t being twitchy like usual, so why was he awake?

A loud rumble from his stomach gave him the answer.

He was hungry. _Very_ hungry

He sighed again, working his way out from under the blanket and then off the bed as careful as possible so as not to wake anyone else. Michael mumbled something in his sleep, but no one stirred.

Padding along the hallway and down the stairs, he navigated with his hand trailing along the wall, eyes more or less still closed.

He fully snapped them shut at the jarring light from the fridge as he opened it, taking a moment to adjust before nosing around in the contents.

He selected a plate of meat leftovers from a roast they had two days ago, bringing it over to the table where he sat down and began eating, eyes resting shut.

He just chewed and swallowed for a while until he was reaching for another piece and his nails clinked against the plate, slipping an eye open to notice he had managed to eat all of the several large slices of meat.

“I feel like I should be vaguely concerned about this” he breathed, confused by his increased hunger but too tired to give it all that much thought.

He crossed his arms on the table, putting his forehead down on them and sighing.

“Wake up Gavvy”

Gavin's head snapped up, blinking in confusion at how the room was now bright when it had been night seconds ago.

“Whah?” he mumbled, looking up at Jack who was smiling at him, hand on Gavin's back.

“Did you sleep out here all night?” Jack asked, eyeing the plate “midnight snack?”

“S’ meat” Gavin slurred as he rubbed his face, trying to shake off the exhaustion and haze in his mind “I jus’ put m’ head down for a second…”

“You didn’t eat _all_ the left over lamb did you?” Jack asked surprised, opening the fridge and confirming that Gavin had. He then gave Gavin a pondering side glance.

“Michael said you and Geoff had sex in the kitchen, yeah?”

Gavin blushed and looked down.

_Embarrassment train pulling into Gavin station_

Now that he wasn’t so horny he could see how strange and desperate he had been last night.

“Oh, yeah, sorry” Gavin said with a small smile. Jack sat down opposite him.

“I’m not mad, sweetie, just kinda confused why you would do it out here” Jack said.

Gavin shrugged.

“I don’t know what came over me, it was weird” he said, resting his chin in his hands. Jack pursed his lips

“Gav, I’m curious; when did you last lay?”

Gavin froze.

Lay?! How had he managed to forget about that?!

“How do you know about that?” Gavin asked, tense.

“Gavin; I’m a trained paramedic, it’s covered pretty early that bird-brids lay eggs twice a year, even males” Jack chuckled. Gavin relaxed slightly.

“Oh, yeah, duh” he grinned, then pondered “my last egg was a few months before we met, so that was, what…?” Gavin said, counting through the months in his head.

“Three, four-ish months” Jack supplied “so it’s been 6 months?”

Gavin felt monumentally dumb.

“That would explain why I’ve been so tired and hungry”

“And the heightened sexual desire” Jack said

“It sounds so _clinical_ when you say it like that”

“And the heightened need for a fuck?” Jack offered

“Eww, I prefer clinical” Gavin grimaced “that’s gross”

“So you’re preparing to lay?” Jack asked, mostly rhetorically

“Yep” Gavin said, making a popping sound with the ‘p’ as he stared into the void, thoughts running through his head

Michael and Ryan entered the room now, yawning and stretching.

“Hey boi, you’re up early” Michael beamed, resting his chin on Gavin's head and letting his arms drape down in front of the bird.

“Don’t remind me” Gavin grumbled. Despite not having checked a clock since Jack woke him, the light coming through the curtains of the living room was indicative of 6, maybe 7 o’clock.

“I’m just glad it’s Saturday” Ryan droned, shuffling straight over to the coffee maker and getting it going. He dropped down into the chair beside Jack, leaning his head on the lions shoulder and closing his eyes. Jack rolled his eyes but smiled.

“Well, we’re all going to have to discuss the coming weeks. I’m sure none of us have lived with someone that has experienced this” Jack said to Gavin, picking up their conversation again.

“Experienced what?” Michael asked, plopping into the chair next to Gavin “you don’t have chlamydia do you?”

“How would I have gotten it?” Gavin asked. Michael narrowed his eyes playfully

“ _Smee”_ he sneered

“No Michael, Gavin is STI free. He is, however, going to be laying an egg sometime in the coming 3 to four weeks” Jack explained.

Gavin felt like a patient on an examining table from the way Jack phrased it, but it more or less got the idea across

“You’re _WHAT?!”_ Michael squawked, eyebrows launching half way to the stratosphere “how the fuck is that possible! You’re a guy!”

“Michael, you do realise that both men and women bird hybrids lay eggs” Ryan sighed

“ _Seriously?_ Why wasn’t I told this?!” Michael gapped

“You weren’t exactly star pupil in school” Jack offered.

“All bird-brids have the egg pouch, Micool, only the eggs that guys make can’t be fertilised” Gavin explained.

“Dude, that’s _fucking weird_ ” Michael laughed, before yelping and grabbing his shin where Jack had kicked him under the table “what the hell?!”

“We didn’t say that when you got _flees_ ” Ryan said. Michael muttered under his breath how they _weren’t_ flees as he got up to get coffee.

“Don’t worry, Gav, we’ll all be here to help you as it progresses” Jack smiled, leaning across the table to take Gavin's hands in his.

“So how does it all work?” Michael asked, sipping from his mug “does it come out of your dick?”

“ _No_ , don’t even put that image in my mind” Gavin shivered “the egg pouch exits through the colon. The egg will only be about half the size of a human baby at birth, properly fertilised ones only becoming full sized and not both”

“The pouch will sit in front of his organs, not push them aside like normal pregnancy, so even though the egg is smaller, he will get just as big” Jack explained “this would have first occurred, what, when you were 20?” he asked.

Gavin nodded

“Yeah, it didn’t start till normal presenting age, even though I presented first at 18. The first egg was one hell of a ride, but it’s much easier after that when you know what to expect” Gavin said.

“We didn’t spend a whole lot of time on this subject, but what I guess you would call the ‘heat’ lasts 3 days and then the egg forms over the 3 weeks after that. Is that right?” Jack asked.

“Yeah. it’s not _always_ 3 weeks, but somewhere in that time frame give or take a few days” Gavin nodded.

“And then you just poop it out?” Michael asked.

“Mhm. Takes a few hours depending on various things” Gavin said.

“Most people bury theirs from what I’ve heard” Ryan commented. Gavin shrugged

“Most of us, yeah. My mum always did, so I picked up the practice. Though those first hours after laying are pretty much a write-off. The protection instinct is too big to expect the parent to leave the egg, but it wears off after that”

“So you hatched from an egg?” Michael asked, lips pursed slightly as he thought it through.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s not really a big subject; that some hybrids come from eggs. If one in four people are hybrids, out of those it’s one in five that are birds or egg laying species. And like only half of those are female and able to have their eggs fertilised. So it’s not often a topic of discussion” Gavin elaborated, statistics that he learnt years ago finally proving useful

“Who’s fertilising eggs?” Ray asked, wandering into the front room

“I think we should wait for Geoff before going through all this again” Ryan mused

“Good idea” Gavin agreed, lowering his chin to the table.

Hopeful the exhaustion wouldn’t get too bad this time

 

 

 


	3. Hormones And Their Benefits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes after i post a chapter i decide to just start the next chapter right after, resulting in nights like this with multiple chapters uploaded
> 
> take it as you will
> 
> also i forgot to mention that i drew a reference for what the herd's hybrid parts look like in my mind. i did put it on my tumblr, but the version on my DA has zoom capabilities
> 
> http://heartsprout.deviantart.com/art/Hybrid-reference-lineup-612101350
> 
> gavin is based on the New Zealand myna. i love seeing them when i walk around town, so i borrowed their colourings. the species of animal a person is hybridised with is irrelevant to their country of birth, but some times native species of their countries can influence my choices.
> 
> wahey

As it turned out Geoff had experienced it before, the girlfriend he had before he had bonded with Jack had been a bird too.

She was a hawk called Griffon, and he had only been with her for two egg lays but had learnt a lot in that time.

The herd all sat and talked it over, Jack planning to take Gavin shopping for supplies on Sunday and Ray refusing to stop referring to it as a ‘pregnancy’ and how Gavin was going to be a ‘mommy’

Gavin still had a few of his egg belly shirts that he had brought from his old apartment when he moved in, but they were kind of old so he planned to get some more, ignoring Ray's remarks about ‘maternity clothes’.

Despite the insanity that the ‘heat’ would bring, the rest of the time before laying was usually quite mellow for Gavin; only minor sickness from the influx of hormones and discomfort from his growing stomach and the muscles involved in supporting the changes.

But he had never really been so _horny_ during previous heats, which Jack hypothesised could be from being bonded and the instincts to be fertilised doing overtime, particularly with _five_ mates.

Geoff decided that for the last two weeks of the eggs development Gavin would not be allowed to be home alone, especially in the final week.

Gavin had grumbled that he had been fine every other time, but it did occur to him that Dan had nearly always been around when Gavin was still in England, and the two times he had produced an egg in America had been pretty stressful to do alone.

Aside from that they all agreed they would try to continue with their lives as usual, Gavin not wanting to upheave their usual routines since this would be a thing that was just a part of life.

“So you _definitely_ won’t have a baby?”

“No Michael, I told you before men can’t be fertilised” Gavin rolled his eyes

“That kinda sucks. How cool would it be to have a tiny Gavin running around, trying to get use to the size of his nose as it makes his head top heavy” Ray chuckled “you’d be great as a mom, Gavvy, and watching you breastfeed would be funny as shit”

“That’s a point; women usually get huge titties when they are pregnant” Michael said, then made a pointed humorous glance at Gavin's chest.

“I’m not pregnant though” Gavin said, frowning and covering where his nipples would be under his shirt with his hands. Geoff roared with laughter at that, flopping back on the sofa and making Gavin snort and giggle at how ridiculously joyful Geoff's laugh sounded. He loved how Geoff laughed.

“Ok then; sounds like everything is all figured out then” Ryan said, slipping an arm around Gavin's waist as he sat beside him on the sofa, pulling him closer and smooching him on the temple.

Gavin smiled, leaning into him and bringing his legs up onto the couch beside him.

When Geoff finally calmed down from his laughing fit he flicked on the TV, Ray stretching out and leaning against him while playing DS, Michael and Jack getting up and heading upstairs.

Gavin was still tired, closing his eyes and just enjoying the feeling of Ryan’s chest rising and falling against his cheek.

They just relaxed like that for a while, Gavin vaguely being able to hear Michael being loud at a game he was playing in the office. Geoff pulled out his laptop from under the coffee table at one stage and doing whatever rams do on the internet, Ray readjusting and ending up with one of Geoff's arms resting on his head.

It felt nice to just chill out for a while. Gavin thought about how Ryan smelt nice, a mix of whatever deodorant he used and his natural _musk_.

Gavin buried his face into Ryan a little more, breathing in his scent and trying to catalogue it deep in his mind. He could pretty much flawlessly recognize them all by scent now, being able to easily figure out who was last wearing a particular shirt or who had been in the office last. Ryan’s scent did have a hint of ‘cattle’ to it, a kind of livestock smell you catch when driving past a farm. But it was also rich and vibrant, Gavin relating it somehow to the colour purple.

Ryan smelt _strong_ , _powerful_ even, like he could toss Gavin over a wall with minimal effort. Gavin got caught on the thought slightly, the image of Ryan’s strong muscled arms holding him tight and carrying him to safety.

It wasn’t until Ryan shifted slightly that Gavin realised his hand on Ryan’s thigh had become more of a _grip_ , fingers pressing into the skin and holding tight.

“You ok bud?” Ryan asked quietly, stroking Gavin's waist with his thumb softly.

“Yeah” Gavin breathed, but his eyes closed and his eyebrows pressed together, the small motion of Ryan’s thumb proving very distracting.

Gavin's hand slipping further between Ryan’s legs to his inner thigh was what gave Ryan the definitive hint of what was going through Gavin's mind.

“You wanna go upstairs?” Ryan asked quietly in Gavin's ear, a gentle smile in his voice. Gavin nodded, sliding his legs off the chair to the ground and getting up, taking Ryan’s hand and leading him up to the bedroom.

Jack was sitting on the bed reading a book, and when the two men came into the room he immediately understood what was going on, getting up to head out of the room.

Only Gavin caught his wrist as he went to move past, pausing and turning to Jack slightly.

He didn’t know how to convey what he was thinking, he just bit his lip as he looked down at his own hand around Jack’s arm.

There was a moment which Gavin imagined involved the two gents sharing a look, before Jack took Gavin's face in his hands, guiding the bird to look up so the lion could bring their lips together.

Gavin clung to Jack’s shirt as they kissed, heart rate already picking up as Ryan moved over to the bedside table, Gavin hearing the drag of the draw pulling open and contents being removed.

Gavin made a small noise as Jack pulled back slightly, the bird’s expression bordering on desperate as the lion led Gavin over to the bed, Gavin sitting on the foot of the bed with one of the older men on each side.

Jack took Gavin's mouth again as Ryan pressed kisses to his neck and shoulder, hands on the birds hips.

Gavin whimpered slightly into Jack's mouth, cock quickly getting hard as his excitement and need grew.

The power of Ryan’s scent was one thing, but being sandwiched between two strong hybrids with scents thick in his nose made Gavin grip tight to Jack's shirt, finding it hard to sit still.

Jack broke the kiss, lips pressing along Gavin's jaw and down his throat as Ryan climbed across the bed to sit against the headboard, Gavin whining in his nose at the absence of the bull behind him.

Jack pulled back, nudging Gavin slightly who took the cue, scurrying up the bed to Ryan, connecting their mouths even before he straddled Ryan’s legs, sitting on his thighs and pressing his body forward against the bulls.

Gavin felt the bed moving as Jack came to kneel behind him, directing Gavin to raise up so the lion could help him out of his shorts.

Gavin held his kneel for a moment, fingers threading through Ryan’s hair and eyes squeezing shut as the bull trailed his fingers along Gavin's cock, feather light touches to the covered erection.

“Haahh, _rye_ , ahh…” Gavin moaned, hips pushing forward slightly searching for more friction.

“Mmm, so hard…” Ryan hummed, one hand running up Gavin's stomach and to his chest, Gavin gasping out a cry when the bull caught a nipple and rolled it slightly between his fingers.

“F-fuck! _Oh god, rye, please…”_ he whimpered, hips surging forward into Ryan’s hand.

A silent cue passed between the gents, Jack now easing Gavin out of his boxer briefs as Ryan pushed out of his own jeans and boxers. The bull was getting pretty hard too, stroking himself to full mast with a few languid glides of his hand. Gavin bit his lip as he gazed hungrily down at Ryan’s cock, his own straining and precome already beading at the slit.

Jack's hands were on Gavin's hips, the bird’s hands over them, as Ryan lubed himself up, Jack also putting some lube on his fingers and helping to prep Gavin, two fingers easily slipping in.

“wow, you’re _really_ eager” Jack breathed, voice deep and rich, making Gavin whimper and push back on the fingers, Jack testing another finger before deciding Gavin was ready.

Both men helped support Gavin while he scooted forward slightly, Ryan helping him line up before sinking down onto the bull's cock.

“Ohhh _fuck_ haahh!” Gavin keened eyes rolling back slightly as the thick member pressed up into him and then into his depths, Gavin quickly resting down on Ryan’s thighs and taking a moment to really take in the delicious stretch and pressure.

“Mmm, you take my cock so well” Ryan rumbled, voice straining slightly from his own pleasure. Gavin set his hands on the bull's shoulders, grounding himself before he began to slowly rise up then down again.

He was already panting, cheeks hot and flushed as he fucked himself on Ryan’s cock, the bull making small motions to match Gavin's movements.

Jack was still holding Gavin's hips, kneeling close behind Gavin. Gavin could feel Jack's hot breath on his neck and he revelled in it, eyes squeezed shut as desperate noises fell from his lips.

“Oh _fuck_ , you’re so tight around my cock” Ryan groaned, hands on Gavin's waist a pleasant grip, the way his fingers dug into Gavin's flesh slightly sparking off his nerve endings.

“ _Hhah_ , yes, _fuck_ , your cock is so big inside me!” Gavin keened, a sharp gasp tearing from his throat when Ryan grazed the tight bundle of nerves inside Gavin.

Ryan smirked slightly, angling slightly to hit Gavin's prostate again, the bird cursing and moaning wantonly.

Whatever hormones were making Gavin excited at the power Ryan had; they were also affecting the bull, rumbling noises and deep groans indicating how he was struggling to hold back, to not just hold down the bird and breed him.

Only Gavin's brain was desperate for it, to feel his mate fill him their seed and give him child. His mind was at war; his hybrid hormones making him want to just be _taken_ and cared for, but his human half not understanding the need and trying to hold back from submitting.

But egg hormones are a force to be reckoned with

“ _Hnn_ , _please,_ fill me up!” he whimpered “ _ahh!_ I need you to breed me!”

Ryan groaned deliciously, Gavin's desperation and desire to submit triggering in his brain.

Even Jack made a small noise behind the bird, fingers gripping Gavin’s hips harder.

“ _Nnh_ , _gonna breed you good_ …” Ryan moaned, getting lost in the desire and slipping into the dominant position easily. Gavin whimpered and moaned, hand wrapping around his own cock.

Ryan caught his wrists suddenly, pulling them together and holding them, keeping the bird from touching himself. Gavin cried out with desperation and arousal, being restrained from giving his cock attention making his brain hazy with need.

Jack's hand slipped around though, taking hold of Gavin's leaking member and stroking it with long, languid strokes.

“ _Ohhh, fuck,_ I-I’m... I’m gonna- _haahh!”_ Gavin keened, Jack giving a delicious twist to his hold on Gavin and making the bird fall suddenly over the edge, head thrown back and letting out a long cry as he painted stripes over Ryan’s chest and stomach.

The bull came quickly after that, rumbling out a moan as he spilled up into the bird, leaning forward and pressing his forehead to Gavin's shoulder as his orgasm rolled over him.

Their breaths heaved as the bliss washed over them, Gavin slowly coming back down to the sensation of Jack pressing gentle kisses to his other shoulder.

His senses were on fire; the power of the climax and the two men holding him making him feel like his nerves were wired with electricity.

As he panted, still seated on Ryan’s cock, he began to feel the exhaustion creep back into the edges of his mind, snaking in till he could barely keep his eyes open, leaning heavily on Ryan for support.

He heard gentle encouragements and praise as they moved him off Ryan and down to lay on the bed, something damp wiping against his skin and then the blanket being pulled over him as warm bodies lay down on either side of him.

He tried to say something, but all that came out was a slurred sound and then he drifted away.


	4. Hungry Bird Is Hungry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slower chapter to build on the story, as well as more info about my hybrids and how they tick.
> 
> go forth

Gavin stretched and yawned, Ryan stirring beside him but not waking, soft snores still rumbling from the bull.

Gavin smiled, brushing his thumb gently over Ryan’s bottom lip and feeling his warm breathing over his hand.

“He's adorable when he actually manages to fall asleep” Jack spoke quietly, Gavin turning his head to look at the lion sitting against the headboard on his other side, reading his book again.

“Mmm, calm really suits him” Gavin smiled, rolling to snuggle against Jack's leg.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Gavin dozing while Jack absently ran his fingers through the bird’s hair, until Gavin's stomach growled and refused to be ignored.

“Come; I’ll make you something to eat” Jack said, pressing a quick kiss to Gavin's forehead before setting his book aside and they headed down stairs.

Michael and Ray were playing a split screen shooter, Michael stretched along a couch and Ray flopped on top, their legs tangled and eyes intent on the screen.

While Jack went into the kitchen, Gavin moved over to stand behind the sofa, scratching Michael's head once.

“Hey boi’s”

“I thought I was your boi?” Michael asked, giving him an exaggerated sad look.

“You’re both my boi’s” Gavin said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, _Michael_ , don’t be so selfish” Ray said, sniping Michael’s character from somewhere off screen and making the cat rage.

“You can be his ‘honey bunny’, _I’m_ his boi” Michael announced.

“Do you wanna be my _hunny bunny_?” Gavin asked Ray with a dopey saccharine voice.

“I just _know_ that would lead to gross pet names and _fluff_ ” Ray frowned

“You can wear lacy panties and suck on lollypops” Michael snickered

“Dude, don’t give me a boner” Ray deadpanned, sniping Michael again and receiving an even bigger rage.

Gavin chuckled, moving over to the table and sitting down, Jack setting a plate with two thick sandwiches on it.

Gavin tried to savour it, to enjoy the perfect balance of how the mayo didn’t over power the contents and how Jack’s homemade bread was both sweet and savoury and all around perfect.

But he felt like he hadn’t eaten for years, so it felt like seconds before he was swallowing the last bite. He groaned, lowering his forehead to the table.

“This _sucks_ ” Gavin whined “it’s crazy how much you forget about laying when you aren’t in season. I don’t know which is worse; the hunger, exhaustion or need to bang so much”

“It’s only till Monday” Jack said, sitting beside Gavin and rubbing his back slightly.

_Sure, the arousal will go away, but the other parts won’t, and then it's three weeks of discomfort and not being able to fit his clothes._

Plus then the actual laying of the egg

Gavin’s nose began to itch as he could feel the tears welling behind his lids. He didn’t want to cry, to already get emotional only two days in when there were so many more ahead, but he couldn’t help it.

He sniffed hard, hiccupping slightly as he felt warm tears trail down his nose.

“Hey, it’s ok sweetie” Jack soothed, slightly caught off guard by Gavin's sudden mood change but adjusting quickly. He scooted his chair closer and continued to rub Gavin's back, other hand working the stress from Gavin’s shoulder gently

“Shh, I know it’s hard but it will be finished before you know it” Jack hushed.

Gavin turned his head so his cheek was resting on the table, the feeling of his tears that had fallen to the surface strange on his skin.

“M’ sorry” he sniffed, bottom lip quivering slightly.

He heard the lads get up, coming over to them.

“Hey boi, don’t sweat it, we’ll all be here and help you through it” Michael said, kneeling beside him and resting his hands on Gavin's thigh.

“I’ll even let you call me your _hunny bunny_ ” Ray offered, leaning over Gavin slightly so he could be seen from Gavin's vantage point.

Gavin smiled, sniffing again.

“What about the p-panties?” he hiccupped.

“The laciest, pinkest pair money can buy” Ray grinned, brushing back Gavin's fringe.

Gavin hiccupped a laugh, lifting his head off the table and sitting up straight.

“I was also promised lollypops in the scenario” Gavin smiled, wiping his face on the back of his hand.

“I didn’t promise it, but I’m down for anything that you need” Ray grinned, cradling Gavin's head to his solar plexus with his arms.

Gavin giggled, letting the lads guide him away from the table, sitting down on the sofa with them snuggled on either side and watching them continue their game.

Slowly his breathing returned to normal as the influx of emotion subsided, and he found himself drifting off even more worn out, head resting on Michael’s shoulder and eyes struggling to stay open.

-

Gavin was roused by an aching need in his pants. It was evening, the light outside the windows having already begun to dim, and Ray had left but Michael was still beside the bird, also having fallen asleep.

He hadn’t even moved his shoulder from under Gavin's head, just rested his own head against Gavin's and joined in on the Z’s.

And as much as Gavin wanted to not disturb the sleeping cat he couldn’t ignore his erection pressing insistently under his clothes.

He slowly reached into his pants, biting his lip as he took hold of himself.

Only as he began to stroke himself the motion moving through his form was enough to pop Michael’s bubble of sleep.

“Hey Gav- oh” he breathed, noticing what the bird was doing when he lifted his head from Gavin's.

“s-sorry” Gavin stammered quietly, unable to stop the amazing friction on his straining cock.

Michael just blinked confused for a moment, unsure what to do, before he turned his body more towards Gavin and slid his hand into Gavin's pants too, nudging the birds hand aside and taking up the motions using precome to ease the harsh friction.

Gavin whimpered quietly, one hand reaching up to press over his mouth and hold back some of the noises as his eyes squeezed shut.

Unlike before, this time he just needed to get off, less occupied with needing to be bred and dominated and just requiring release.

He felt much less desperate, able to stifle most of his moans and cries as Michael brought him quickly to his peak, whispering praise in his ear and executing expert twists of his hand.

Gavin choked on his cry as he came, breathing heavily through his nose as he pressed as close to Michael as possible. His body trembled slightly as he clung to bliss, and then he let out a heavy sigh as his muscles began to relax and he went floppy on the sofa again.

Michael reached over to the tissue box on the coffee table, cleaning up the mess in Gavin's boxer briefs as best as possible.

“I need a shower anyway” Gavin mumbled, shakily getting to his feet, Michael helping him up to the bedroom and grabbing some clothes for the bird as the headed into the en suite, noting Ryan and Ray both on iPads as they were stretched out on the bed.

The walls and floor were all tiled with the same soft blue colour, the walk in shower in the back right corner and the extra wide counter against the left wall, three basins set into it and a mirror the same width as the wall above it.

Gavin shuffled into the large shower cubicle, shucking off his clothes before pulling on the handle that started the shower.

Gavin decided he needed to thank Geoff again for installing the mixer that was extremely expensive, but meant that the water came out at the right temperature, the cold pre-water being redirected to let the hot water through.

Gavin made a whorish noise of bliss as the water washed over him, immediately feeling significantly more alive and less like a reanimated corpse.

Michael had left Gavin's clothes on the shelf with the towels, heading back out into the bedroom.

Once Gavin had washed away the muck and cleaned his hair, he decided to take the time to preen a bit, turning down the water pressure so his wings wouldn’t be soaked.

He presented, pulling the shower stool into the cubicle from the corner and sitting, pulling a wing around and beginning to sort through the feathers.

Hybrid features were in stasis when hidden; returning in the same state they had previously been when the ‘brid presented again.

This meant that injuries and dirt wouldn’t magically disappear.

Depending on how much time a hybrid spent presented, they could usually get away with not having to wash or brush their features every time they showered, but maintenance was still required.

It had been a few days since Gavin had sorted his feathers, combing through them with his talons and laying them flat or plucking ones that were broken or ready to shed. He liked the methodical routine of it, and having mates to help with the feathers on his back made it less of a struggle.

When he was done he fluffed them up a few times, stretching them out and folding them up nicely. He turned off the shower, putting the stool back and collecting up the discarded feathers on the ground and putting them the designated ‘shed bin’.

After a few issues with clogged pipes, Geoff had added a small mesh circle over most of the drains to catch the majority of the herd’s fur, which they emptied in the special bin.

It wasn’t so bad for Gavin; feathers generally being easy to pick up, only struggling with the fuzzy down feathers that clung to his wet hands and arms.

He quickly lifted the bin’s lid, dumping the feathers and slamming the lid down.

It smelt _foul_ , like Dan had the time he had fallen into a scummy stream and then spent hours trying to get it out of the fur on his ears and tail.

Gavin was just glad it wasn’t Michael's shedding season. The house had turned into a ginger-fur-bomb-site when Gavin last experienced it, somehow continuously finding long strands in his mouth despite not doing anything to cause it.

Gavin dried himself off, shaking out his wings a few times and only hiding them long enough to slip into his shirt before presenting again to give them time to dry properly. He pulled on his pants and shorts, rubbing at his hair with the towel as he wandered out through the wardrobe into the bedroom.

Michael was lying horizontally across Ray and Ryan, quietly waiting for Gavin to finish in the bathroom. He grinned up at the bird, ignoring the complaints of the men under him as he got up off them.

“Better?” Michael asked.

“ _God_ yes” Gavin grinned, letting Michael take his hand as they wandered back down to the front room.

They chatted on the couch for a while, TV playing quietly in the background. Geoff and Jack came down from the office eventually, Geoff announcing that he wanted take out for dinner and asking what everyone wanted.

“McDonald's!” came a distant shout from Ray still in the bedroom, hearing still impressive as ever.

“Anything, just as long as it doesn’t take forever” Gavin declared, shuffling his wing and feeling how his empty stomach pulled from the motion.

“We’ll try be quick” Geoff smiled, running his fingers through the feathers on his wing wrist, scratching the skin underneath slightly and making Gavin groan exaggeratedly at the beautiful friction.

The two gents headed out to the truck, Gavin listening to it rumble off down the road and trying to avoid counting the seconds till _food_.


	5. The Peak Of Need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have finished this last night, but i was exhausted and didn't want to force out some sub-par writing that would have left everyone disappointed
> 
> so i finished the chapter tonight and here it is :)
> 
> super needy gavin gives me life

Gavin got half way through shopping with Jack before he desperately needed to sit down for a second, drained of energy despite this only being the first shop they had gone into.

They had been picking out nesting materials; blankets, pillows, sheets, filling up a cart as they wandered around the shop. Gavin had been running his fingers through the long plush fibres of a throw when he was hit with the wave of exhaustion, coming up behind Jack who was examining a product and pressing his forehead to the lions back.

“You need a break?” Jack asked with a smile. Gavin just nodded and then followed Jack who pushed the cart over to a bench. Gavin sat down heavily onto it, itching his shoulder absently, unable to reach the spot on his shoulder blade.

Jack sat beside him, scratching the spot for him, Gavin purring slightly with relief.

“It feels like this is going to be an itchy season” Gavin sighed, remembering a couple of previous lays where the need to present could get overwhelming, manifesting in an itch over his shoulder blades where his wings would sprout.

“You can present if you need to, don’t worry about what people think” Jack said, linking a hand with one of Gavin's and stroking the back of Gavin's hand with his thumb soothingly.

That would solve the issue, but Gavin was still too caught in the memories of getting bullied or beat up if he presented at school, reminding people he can’t fly and making him a target.

Gavin just gave Jack a small smile, followed by a yawn.

“Well, why don’t we go pay for what we’ve already got, and then go get some lunch? If you feel a little more energetic afterwards we can finish shopping” Jack offered, Gavin nodding and standing.

They took their haul back to Ryan’s car that Jack had borrowed for the day, Gavin dropping into the passenger’s seat and feeling the relief and being able to sit down and lean back, opposed to the bench that had had no backrest.

They went to a café, the barista not the best at hiding her confusion as Gavin kept selecting things from the display, and then being even more confused when Jack said ‘and I’ll just have a coffee’, making it clear the food was all for Gavin.

The bird chose a small table behind a pillar so the barista couldn’t see him as he ploughed through the muffins and bagels like it was his last day on earth.

When they returned to the car he felt kind of better, but wasn’t overjoyed at the idea of more shopping.

“No problem; I can get more things tomorrow” Jack said, and Gavin felt even _more_ love for the lion and his endless understanding and patience.

As they drove Gavin dozed, head resting back and eyes barely open, taking in the unrefined patches of colour as he looked out the window.

“We’re home, Gav”

He yawned, trying to rub some life back into himself through his face, dragging himself from the car.

Geoff had opened the front door, moving down the path to the car to help them bring in their haul.

Gavin just gripped onto the back of the ram’s shirt, trudging after him into the house and barely navigating with his own senses.

“Lay down, babe” Geoff said softly, hands on Gavin's shoulders. He focused in enough to realise they had made it up the stairs into the bedroom, and Geoff was now guiding him down onto the bed.

Gavin didn’t have to be told twice, belly flopping down onto it. He heard Geoff chuckle as he pulled Gavin's shoes and shorts off and set them aside, nudging him to lay longwise.

The bed jostled slightly. Something pressed against his shoulder lightly. He slept.

-

Gavin woke up from his own shout, eyes blown wide and panting.

The nightmare was quickly seeping from his mind, but images of Gavin trying to catch up the herd, running full tilt but unable to catch up to them as they walked further into the shadows and out of sight.

He felt a strong arm wrap around his shoulder and gentle shushing beside him, and he turned his head to realise Geoff was sitting beside him.

“Hey hey! It’s ok bud, it was a dream” Geoff hushed, a warm smile and gentle eyes. Gavin's chest was heaving with sobs, and he desperately tried to rub away the tears before they could fall.

“You weren’t waiting for me” Gavin hiccupped, brain creating a haze over the border of dream and real life “I was calling b-but…”

“I’m here. That was just a dream babe. Take some deep breaths” Geoff soothed, Gavin taking a few stuttered ones before his heart began to slow its racing and his brain became less foggy.

The border was back, but his fear and panic still clung to his mind. He held tight to Geoff, hands roaming over his shoulders and neck, confirming his mate was still there.

“Shhh” Geoff breathed, laying back down and easing Gavin with him, the bird curling close to his side.

Gavin's hand still trailed over his mate’s rises and falls, eventually finding its way to his pelvic area and then lower to his cock.

He heard Geoff's breath catch slightly.

“Geoff” Gavin whimpered, burying his face in Geoff's neck and feeling the ram’s facial hair against his cheek.

“Gav…” he breathed, conflicted by Gavin's delicate mood and his breeding hormones.

“I need to feel you” Gavin whimpered “I n-need _you_ ”

Geoff was still for a moment, before he reached up to catch Gavin's chin, tilting his head up so the ram could bring their lips together, propping himself up on an elbow so he was above the bird.

Gavin whimpered into the kiss, hands wandering quickly under Geoff's shirt and over his chest, imagining where the tattoos were set.

“I’ll take care of you” Geoff breathed, Gavin groaning and bucking his hips up slightly.

“Nnh, please, f-fuck me…” Gavin whimpered, breaking their kiss so he could roll over, pressing his chest to the bed and raising his ass in the air.

Geoff rumbled with arousal at the display, hand running up Gavin's spine and over the curve of his ass.

Gavin bit his lip, whining through his nose as Geoff’s fingers trailed over his hole and down his taint, cupping his balls.

“f-fuck-k-k!” Gavin stammered, spreading his knees and curving his back more.

Geoff was breathing heavily as he got onto his knees, hands gripping Gavin's hips as he moved behind the bird.

“Mmm, such a sweet little bird” Geoff rumbled “want me to fill you up?”

Gavin could only let out a desperate noise, hands fisting in the sheets.

“Geoff! Haahh! _Please!”_ he begged, erection hanging heavily inside his pants.

Geoff hummed a low note, slowly dragging Gavin's boxer briefs down over the swell of his ass and down to pool at his knees. He reached up, fingers trailing over a cheek gently followed by another pass with nails dragging at Gavin's skin slightly.

Gavin cried out, cock twitching heartily and a bead of precome dripping to the bed.

“ _Jesus_ ” Geoff hissed under his breath, sounding intoxicated with Gavin’s behaviour.

“Please fuck me; fill me up and breed me!” Gavin pleaded, pushing back against Geoff's hold on his ass.

Geoff cursed, quickly reaching over to the side table and grabbing the lube. He freed his own erection from his pants, taking a moment to lube some fingers and prep Gavin.

Only it wasn’t needed; Gavin immediately able to take Geoff's fingers, begging for more between his pleasured mewls.

Geoff wasted no more time, lubing up and then pressing into Gavin, both men groaning as the ram sunk into Gavin's warmth depths.

“ _Hnnn_ , Please! M-move…” Gavin breathed, Geoff collecting himself before starting a pace that begun gentle, and quickly became a punishing drive spurred on by Gavin's pleads for _faster_ and _harder_.

Gavin's breath was shuddering, punching out of him every time Geoff struck his prostate.

“ _fuck_ , you feel so good around me” Geoff ground out, a hand trailing down Gavin's spine to rest between his shoulder blades, pushing down the bird into the mattress as he curved over him.

“G-Geoff, _ohhh f-f…”_ Gavin stammered, mind sparking at Geoff's dominating hold “ _yes!_ I’m yours!” he cried

He could feel Geoff building to a climax quickly was his pace stuttered occasionally and his grip on Gavin's hip tightened. Gavin hormones were telling him that’s what he wanted, that he needed Geoff to come deep inside him, but he was also chasing his own orgasm.

“Nnh, Geoff, I need- hah! I n-need…” he whimpered, a new kind of desperation in his voice.

Geoff picked up on his intentions, the hand on Gavin's shoulders moving to wrap around Gavin's cock, stroking with beautiful friction.

Gavin choked on a gasp, coming hard against the bed and crying out. Geoff moaned, shooting into Gavin as the bird tightened around him deliciously.

Gavin's mind was on fire, Geoff's name tumbling from his lips over and over as he was punched with bliss.

Geoff’s forehead pressed to Gavin's back, the ram curled around the bird and holding tight as he panted and groaned.

“Holy _dicks_ ” Geoff breathed, pulling out of Gavin and sitting back on his calves. Gavin's body was till trembling with ecstasy, but then Geoff heard him make a strained noise.

“Gav? What’s wrong?” Geoff asked, worried he hurt him somehow.

“N-need m-more…” Gavin whimpered, and Geoff realised he was still hard despite having come moments ago.

Gavin bit his lip, whining through his noise as his eyes squeezed shut. He had been filled well, but desire was still burning in his pelvis.

He must have reached the peak of his heat.

“G-Geoff…” he breathed, almost a sob as became overwhelmed and frustrated with arousal.

Geoff thought fast, Gavin feeling the bed dip as the ram reached over to the side table and then sat back. Gavin heard the sound of the lube bottle pop open, and then there was another thick shape pressing to his opening.

Gavin gasped as he felt the object press into him until it narrowed, settling inside him with a wide base stopping it from slipping right in.

“Geoff-f?” he asked, and then heard a click and was lost as a delicious vibration rumbled through the object and stimulated him beautifully.

“ _Ohhh_ , fuck!” Gavin moaned wantonly, legs giving out and dropping him onto his side.

Geoff lay down opposite him, hand cradling Gavin's cheek as he trembled and whimpered at the toy inside him.

“So beautiful, so sweet…” Geoff breathed, his eyes locking with Gavin's barely focussed ones.

Gavin's mouth opened slightly, tongue darting out to wet his lips. Geoff's eyebrow twitched slightly, thumb trailing over Gavin's bottom lip and then slowly slipping in his mouth, running over Gavin's tongue.

Gavin sucked gently, humming around it as his eyes slipped shut and rode out the desire, Geoff’s breath rumbling slightly as the birds tongue massaged the pad of his thumb.

“Mmm, imagine those pretty lips wrapped around my cock, your green eyes looking through your lashes up at me. Maybe I’d make you hold your hands behind your back, unable to touch yourself till I’ve come. Make you my sweet little sub…” Geoff spoke softly.

Gavin whined through his nose as he came, mouth gapping as he was lost in bliss, Geoff stroking his cheek with his own saliva.

When he came back to himself the vibrations were beginning to become too much, quickly moving into painful over stimulation. He had barely made a noise before Geoff was reaching over him, the vibrations clicking off and Gavin's body going limp as he finally relaxed.

He could barely form words in his mind, the noises only coming out as slurred syllables.

“Shh, rest for a moment, I’m right here” Geoff hushed, brushing back Gavin's hair and massaging his scalp at the base of the bird’s skull.

Gavin purred through his nose, brain fading out and taking him under.


	6. Calling It Morning Sickness Is False Advertising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wahey another chapter
> 
> i think i might draw a floor plan for the ramsey house, just for my own amusement. 
> 
> idk, if i did would anyone want me to post it on my tumblr so yall can see it too???
> 
> go forth

The first thing Gavin was aware of was the way his stomach was churning. His eyebrows pushed together as he sat up, rubbing his closed eyes sleepily.

The change of angle made the sensation worse though, a wave of nausea hitting him.

He groaned, giving the ram beside him a rude awakening as he scrambled over him off the bed, making for the en suite.

He dropped to his knees in front of the toilet, wrenching the lid open before he was throwing up all his food from the café.

He felt Geoff's hand on his shoulders, rubbing them soothingly as he knelt down beside the bird.

Gavin coughed, the stomach acid burning the back of his throat, barely having a moment before another wave of bile was dropping into the toilet with a gross sound.

Gavin whined through his nose between coughs, holding onto the bowl for dear life and eyes stinging with tears.

Geoff just sat beside him, hushing him and whispering soothing things to the bird.

Only when Gavin had completely ejected all the days’ food from his system did his stomach calm down. He decided when 5 minutes had passed since the last boke that he was probably safe for now.

He made a grabbing motion in the air without looking up, Geoff handing him a wad of tissues so he could wipe his nose and mouth.

“Looks like the heat is over” he sighed bleakly, shaking slightly as he tried to get up.

Geoff took most of his weight, but Gavin was so worn out and weak that Geoff just hoisted him into his arms bridal style and carried him from the room.

Geoff was heading to the bed, but Gavin could smell the half flushed muck still.

“Front room” he whispered, face buried against Geoff's collar bone.

“You sure?” Geoff asked, then seemed to realise how strong the smell was in the bedroom. He nodded, heading from the room and down the stairs.

The rest of the herd were sat watching the TV, late evening light coming through the closed curtains.

They looked up when Geoff and Gavin entered, the sight of Geoff carrying Gavin catching them off guard, but the ram’s calm demeanour and reassuring smile defused their concern.

“Heat’s over, boys” Geoff said with a gentle laugh, settling Gavin between Jack and Ryan on one sofa. Gavin snuggled up against Jack's thigh, Ryan setting the birds legs across his lap while the lion wrapped an arm over Gavin's shoulders.

“Not feeling so good, eh boi?” Michael asked, a sympathetic smile on his face from where he was tangled with Ray on a single seater.

Gavin hummed a deflated note, Geoff coming over with a fluffy blanket and setting it over the bird.

“From what I heard it was probably a record setting chunder, we should call Guinness records” Ray said, presenting and turning his ears this way and that for emphasis.

“Dude; have some sympathy” Ryan frowned.

“I’m just saying; a couple thousand dollars would certainly make me feel better” Ray defended his joke.

“It could certainly buy a lot of antacid” Gavin said, voice sounding quiet. Some of the bile from vomiting had made it into the back of his nose which stung like hell.

Jack absently twirled a lock of Gavin's hair around his finger as the herd’s attention moved back to the TV. Gavin couldn’t manage to fall asleep, dozing heavily but any noise louder than the standard pulling him back enough to keep his conscious.

He grabbed Jack's hand, pulling the lions arm to rest over his exposed ear and eyes. It muted the TV enough to ease his mind, sighing happily before he finally made it under.

\--

It was more nausea that woke Gavin early in the morning before the sun, making him whimper and scramble blindly with his hands for _anything_.

He felt a plastic mixing bowl get pressed into his hands and then he was choking out thin bile and water, no solid food left in him.

He was half hanging off the sofa, a quiet voice murmuring confirmations to him as he emptied his stomach of everything till he was retching, nothing coming up.

He whined out sobs, exhausted and frustrated and feeling like shit. He became alert enough to realise it was Ryan beside him, sitting on the floor and leaning on the sofa as he rubbed Gavin's back.

He finally lay back on the couch properly, eyes squeezed shut at the queasiness still in his belly.

The smell from the bowl moved away, and then the blanket was pulled back up around his shoulders.

“Rye?” he whimpered

“Yeah Gavvy?”

“You’re going to stay with me, yeah?” he asked

“Of course. I’ll watch over you. You’re safe”

Gavin heaved a stuttered sigh, body trembling under the blanket as Ryan hummed a gentle tune, soothing him back to sleep.

\--

The mouth-watering smell of spaghetti and sausages filled his nose, the gentle sizzling of the frying pan greeting his ears.

He stretched out, tugging the blanket up around his chin as he looked over to watch Jack at the stove, the lion making small swaying movements as he danced to whatever song was in his mind while he worked.

Ryan was sat at the dining table, curled around a cup of coffee as he gazed into the ether with half lidded eyes. Gavin frowned at the deep shadows under his eyes.

“That smells heavenly” he said, slowly pushing himself up and smiling at the men who looked over at him surprised.

“How do you feel, sweetie? Ryan said you woke up a few times last night” Jack smiled, moving over to the sofa and pressing the back of his hand to Gavin's forehead.

“I feel better I guess. You didn’t wait up all night, did you?” Gavin asked Ryan.

The bull just shrugged with a small smile, but Gavin could see the lack of energy behind his eyes.

“I thought I’d make you a nice breakfast. If you aren’t up to it then Michael has claimed dibs” Jack said, moving back into the kitchen to serve up a plate.

Gavin pulled the blanket around his shoulders, shuffling over to the table and sitting in his seat.

Even though they had never mentioned it, the herd all had seats they naturally gravitated to. Sometimes they sat in another place, but majority of the time they just defaulted to ‘their’ one.

Jack set the plate in front of him, and Gavin took in the sight of a glorious English fry up.

“Sweet Jesus” he breathed, mouth already salivating as he picked up a fork.

“Eat slowly; I can only imagine how hungry you are, but we have to see what you can keep down” Jack cautioned as he took a seat.

Gavin managed down most of it, taking small bites and chewing properly as advised. There was a quarter of the food left when he felt that push in his abdomen telling him to _stop now or ejection is imminent_

He sighed contentedly, pushing the plate away and leaning back in the chair, hands resting on his stomach.

_Soon it will sit further in front of you than your nose_

“So where _are_ the others at; I haven’t heard any of them” Gavin asked

“They’ll be back soon; Geoff needed to sort some things at work with Michael, and Ray tagged along. He needs more sun time” Jack shook his head fondly, taking Gavin's plate and covering it to keep it warm for the cat.

There was a jingle and Gavin looked over his shoulder to see Smee squeezing in through a window.

A week after Gavin and Smee had relocated to the Ramsey house, Smee had begun taking extended periods of time away, disappearing for a few days only to return like he hadn’t been gone.

“Smee!” Gavin grinned, lowering a hand and clicking to attract the Siamese over. They had given him a collar when the officially claimed ownership, the little purple bell that hung from it alerting them to the cats return.

Smee padded over to Gavin, sniffing his fingers briefly before nuzzling his hand, purring. Gavin beamed, scratching the cat at the base of his tail. He had never thought to try that on Michael; he’d have to try remember later.

The sound of footsteps on the front porch came through, followed by the door opening and Geoff trudging in followed by the two lads. Michael’s eyes lit up at the sight of Gavin, and then narrowed when he realised Smee was there.

Michael presented, fluffing up his fur and flattening his ears back.

“Oh great; the ass master is back” Michael frowned, pupils just small slits as the Siamese sat down and began licking himself, unimpressed with the cat-brid.

“You better show me some respect, pipsqueak, or I’ll show you what a real set of claws looks like” Michael warned, slinking around the cat with a wide berth.

Gavin just chuckled, knowing that Michael only played up most of his distaste for Smee. They weren’t chums, but Michael knew that pretending to be so threatened by another cat in Gavin's life made the bird laugh.

“Shush, Michael, you’re still my pretty kitty” Gavin grinned, and then remembered his plan.

When Michael sat down to finish Gavin's food, the bird reached over and slipped his hand up under Michael shirt, finding the base of his still presented tail.

“Dude, what are youuuo _oh my god_ ” Michael asked, melting into a purr as Gavin started scratching at the juncture of fur and skin.

“Does my wittle pussy cat like that?” Gavin teased, Michael mewing and bobbing his head.

The herd all snickered at the sight of the mighty Mogar reduced to a sweet little kitten, Michael not even bothered as long as Gavin kept up his scratching.

“Well it looks like you are feeling much better” Geoff smiled, giving Gavin a quick peck on the top of his head.

“For now it seems so” Gavin grinned back, moving his hand away from Michael despite the small heartbroken noise the cat made.

“Sweet; wanna play some Xbox?” Ray asked.

“Sure” Gavin beamed, drawing the blanket closer as he moved back over to the couch, taking the controller Ray handed him and getting settled into a game.

He looked over at one stage to see Ryan still sitting at the table, eyes glazed over as he stared into the abyss again. He wanted to apologise for keeping Ryan up all night, but the bull would probably shrug it off with a joke.

He would have to make it up to him later.


	7. Falling For Someone In The Literal Sense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dunno who's throwing up more; gavin, or me from writing all this fluff
> 
> also ANGSTY ANGST
> 
> laura's breaking all her writing habits. i used to be pure whump and smut. what have i become
> 
> go forth

The following 4 days turned into a blur of sleep, eat, be sick, and repeat

He had never been so nauseous before, Jack trying his best to ease the turmoil in Gavin’s stomach with medication, but the excess of hormones from being bonded to so many male hybrids was beyond Jack's help.

Every time Gavin had a rude awakening, scrabbling for something to throw up in, it always seemed to be Ryan watching him during the wee hours. Even after Gavin decided to spend some time sleeping separate in the spare room, he often woke to find Ryan sitting nearby, either on his iPad or just gazing absently into the dark room.

The shadows under the bull’s eyes were becoming more pronounced, and Gavin was confused why Jack or Geoff hadn't brought it up. Ryan’s insomnia wasn’t really something that could be helped, but usually when Ryan was struggling to even get a few hours unplugged the gents would offer any kind of help they could, even if it was just reassuring words. Only this time Gavin had heard nothing on the topic.

He blamed himself. It was obvious Gavin's condition was the cause of Ryan’s increased sleeplessness, and every time he was hit with a belt of vomiting he would become even more stressed of how it would affect his mate.

He started fearing it, fearing when his body would betray him and how Ryan would endlessly be there to help him through it and get him comfortable again. he feared putting even more pressure on his mate, feared it might start affecting him beyond his energy levels.

Gavin realised he had been staring into space for a few minutes, his spoon aimlessly stirring through his cereal. He didn’t want to eat. He didn’t want to throw up because of it.

“Two more bites, ok? You need to keep your strength up” Jack smiled softly, sitting beside the bird at the table.

Gavin tugged the blanket closer around his shoulders, looking down at the cornflakes that had spent too long in the milk and turned to soggy mess.

“I don’t want to” he said quietly, pushing the bowl away and pulling the blanket up around his ears and over his mouth.

Jack’s eyebrows pushed together, confused and concerned.

“Do you feel queasy?” Jack asked.

Gavin sighed, pulling the blanket right over his face and lowering his forehead to the table.

“No” he said, only barely audible through the thick throw.

“Are you tired?” Jack asked, still trying to figure out what caused Gavin's reluctance.

_Not as tired as Ryan_

“What do you mean, sweetie?” Jack asked, shuffling closer in his chair slightly

Gavin hadn’t realised he had said that out loud.

“I’m making Ryan worse” he muttered

“I don’t understand. Worse…?” Jack asked openly. Gavin lifted his head and lowered the blanket, turning to Jack. He couldn’t tell what expression he had, but he saw Jack's concern deepen.

“Ryan hasn’t slept in days! It’s my fault! Whether he can’t sleep because I make too much noise, or because he thinks he has to look after me; it doesn’t matter because it’s my fault!” Gavin gushed, voice cracking and becoming barely a wheeze as his throat became thick with emotion.

Jack's mouth gapped slightly, and then he wrapped his arms around the bird and pulled him tight to his body. Gavin began to sob, body shaking as his tears wet Jack's shirt.

“Oh sweetie, we’re all worried about Ryan. This isn’t the first time he’s been hit hard with insomnia, and it’s always hard to watch and not be able to do much to help. I didn't realise it was weighing on you so much” Jack said quietly, stroking the birds hair

“But this time it’s my f-fault” Gavin hiccupped “if I wasn’t in the middle of a _stupid_ lay season he wouldn’t be so exhausted”

Jack hushed him, rocking gently but not replying, unsure what to say to help.

They sat there for a while until Gavin’s crying wore him out, the bird barely able to grip to Jack as the lion carried him up to the spare room. He immediately rolled over to face the wall, feebly dragging himself closer to it and pulling the blankets up to his chin before falling asleep.

He woke up a few times over the next few hours, feeling more itchy than sick.

There was a desperate itch hovering over both his shoulder blades, and he struggled half-awake to reach them, mumbling and getting tangled in the sheets as he tried to scratch.

When he woke up properly, it was to an exquisite sensation that took him a moment to realise was on his now presented wing.

He opened his eyes to a face full of feathers, lifting his head to look over his wing and at Ryan who was softly preening him, eyes half lidded as he sat in a chair beside the bed.

Gavin began to smile, and then he took in the bags under Ryan’s eyes and remembered the situation.

He slowly pulled his wing back under the duvet, Ryan looking surprised for a second before realising Gavin was awake.

“Hey bud” Ryan smiled, genuine but with a tired pull to it, like even gravity was too much for him.

Gavin looked away, pulling the blanket back up over his mouth. Ryan’s smile faded.

“Jack told me about how you are worried for me” he said softly “I do admit I’m a little droopier than usual”

“You look like death warmed up” Gavin's voice was small. Ryan sighed, but a smile played on his lips.

“Did I ever tell you how I met Geoff?” he said after a few moments of silence

Gavin looked up at Ryan, eyebrows furrowing.

“I thought you met when you came to work at rooster teeth?” Gavin asked. Ryan huffed a small fond laugh.

“I guess, yeah, but I didn’t immediately start working with achievement hunter” Ryan said, leaning back in the chair and rubbing his face.

“I was tech support; fixing computers and stuff like that. It was probably actually a month before Geoff and I were in a room together for longer than a few seconds...”

“...It had been a long week, Adam and I running more on red bull than anything else. Some kind of surge had fried some hard drives and we had been saving whatever ones we could and offloading the ones that were barely hanging on. There was a lot of important stuff, and we had to work fast to find out what info had been lost or needed to be backed up again...”

“...I didn’t have a car at that stage, only having just moved from Georgia where I left my old car with a friend who was down on their luck. I lived relatively close though so walking was manageable...”

“...I was walking home at the end of the week, late at night after having finally finished the rescue mission. Adam had managed to get a few hours of sleep here and there, but the pressure of the situation was really feeding my insomnia was I felt more dead than alive...”

“...Anyway, I had to pass over a bridge to get home. It went over a small stream, but recent intense rain had turned it more into an angry river. I was so out of it I didn’t realise maintenance was being done on a section of the path that had begun to crumble away with age”

Ryan paused, yawning deeply, then looked confused having lost his train of thought.

“You fell off the bridge?” Gavin offered, eyes feeling strained as he blinked for the first time since Ryan’s story had begun. Ryan nodded, still smiling.

“Yeah. I don’t remember going in, just suddenly struggling to breathe and being so disoriented I couldn’t tell up from down. I don’t remember what happened after that, but next thing I was waking up on the shore, a man leaning over me having just given me CPR”

“Geoff” Gavin breathed. Ryan bobbed his head.

“Fate had sent him on a late night errand after a certain feline hybrid used the last of the toilet paper and forgot to tell anyone. He had been crossing the bridge right as I apparently lost my footing as some of the path gave way, flailing and then getting dumped in the drink. He had slammed on the brakes, getting out of the car and diving in after me”

Ryan huffed a laugh

“He hadn’t actually known I worked at roosterteeth as well when he did it, just saw someone fall off the bridge and acted fast. He had dragged us both from the river and got me breathing again. I had mostly just swallowed a lot of water and got us both soaked, but I most likely would have drowned if he hadn’t been there”

Gavin reached a hand out from under the blanket, Ryan leaning forward and taking it in his.

“We bonded when our eyes locked. He got me into his truck and took me back to Jack. Geoff, the beautiful idiot that he is, still didn’t recognise me till Jack realised who I was. Though if I had just saved some stupid person who fell off a clearly marked gap in a bridge I’d be a little preoccupied too”

“You’ve never told me that” Gavin said, running his thumb over Ryan’s knuckles

“I laugh now, but it’s still pretty embarrassing” Ryan chuckled “but my point is that insomnia has made me do worse things than watch out for my useless egg-seasoned mate” Ryan grinned. Gavin rolled his eyes but gave a small smile.

“I guess. If you’re going to be awake anyway, I’d rather it be carting around my chunder than falling of bridges” Gavin sighed.

“I dunno; you can make a pretty big mess if I don’t hand you a bucket in time…” Ryan reasoned, Gavin laughing and batting Ryan with his wing. The bull laughed, stifling a yawn and blinking sleepily.

Gavin lifted his wing and scooted back against the wall, making room. Ryan smiled and lay down beside the bird, Gavin resting his wing over his mate and hugging to the bulls arm.

Ryan pressed a kiss to Gavin's forehead.

“Next time you need it I’ll be _your_ personal babysitter” Gavin mumbled, already drifting off.

“I’ll call you next time it’s my turn to lay an egg” Ryan smiled “remind me to throw up on _your_ best jeans”

“Shtup' dickhe'd”


	8. Egg Bumps and Brain Slumps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyyy new chapter
> 
> go forth

Gavin stepped out of the shower with a satisfied smile.

He had managed to survive the previous night and the morning so far without being sick once and he was more than chuffed.

He towelled at his hair, wandering over to the counter and leaning forward to inspect his face.

There was a lot more colour in his skin. A colour that thankfully wasn’t green.

But as he lent back he noticed something in his peripheral vision.

He took a small step back and angled his body sideways to the mirror, hand coming down to rest on his stomach which was now ever so more pronounced than when he had last viewed it.

He felt a little excited skip in his chest at seeing this small sign of progress, his brain momentarily lapsing into a loop of _egg-egg-egg-egg-egg-egg…_

There was a knock at the door and Ray poked his head in.

“Ay yo, when you’re done do you want-“

“Look Ray!” Gavin excitedly cut him off, turning to the hare and beaming as he showed off the beginnings of his egg bump.

“Dude; that’s so weird!” Ray said, but there was awed fascination in his voice as he moved over and inspected Gavin's belly from different angles to observe the change

“Is it kicking yet?” Ray asked “Some women can actually get winded by it if the baby gets them in the right spot”

“I know full well that you know there’s no baby, Ray Narvaez junior, and you really need to pick a new angle for your jokes other than ‘pregnant’…” Gavin rolled his eyes fondly, continuing to dry himself off and then beginning to dress.

“But I’ve got so much material to work with” Ray whined playfully “swollen ankles, pumping milk, not being able to wipe your own ass...”

“The anus one is body builders, not pregnant people” Gavin corrected, pulling on a shirt and being a little disappointed that it covered his wee belly bulge.

“Oh, yeah, I wonder how I got that mixed up…” Ray pondered as he followed Gavin out from the bathroom and master bedroom and down to the front room.

While Gavin had showered Jack had prepared him a nice breakfast since there was a lesser chance of it coming back up again, and the lion was now setting Gavin's plate down on the table.

Gavin's hunger had been near impossible to deal with, what with it being greater from the egg season and not being able to keep anything he did eat down.

So the bird thoroughly enjoyed every bite of bacon, eggs and toast. He didn’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about how he was eating _eggs_ , but it was similar to Geoff eating mutton or Ryan eating beef. You just had to ignore the irony and move on.

Gavin did refused to eat the wings of the chicken, though. Biting into each section of meat only made him think of how it related to his own wing's muscles and subsequently biting into those.

When he was done eating he moved over to where Jack was reading a book while sat on the couch, standing beside him and slowly pushing his stomach forward till his shirt was almost brushing the lion’s cheek.

“What are you doing, Gavin?” Jack asked without looking up, teasing the bird.

“I’m try’na show off my egg bump, though I guess it is a little hard to see under my shirt” he frowned, lifting his shirt and pouting down at his belly.

Jack looked up, eyes a little wider with surprise, leaning forward in the chair to see from the side.

“Oh wow, you _can_ actually see it coming through now” Jack grinned, then swiftly lent forward a placed a kiss just above Gavin's navel.

“Hey!” Gavin said, caught off guard but beaming. He shuffled over to sit down beside Jack, unimpressed when the lion tried to return to his book. He flopped out across Jack’s lap, cheekily laying over the lion’s novel and making dramatic noises as he pretended to stretch.

Jack just chuckled, gently tossing his book onto the coffee table.

“Pay attention to meeeeeee…” Gavin whined while grinning up at his mate, Jack trying to play that he was unimpressed but unable to hold back the smile.

“You are lucky you are so cute” Jack said, papping Gavin on the face softly.

“It’s a gift” Gavin said, rolling onto his side to face away from Jack and using the man’s legs as a pillow.

Jack softly scratched Gavin's shoulder blades, the skin pretty red from Gavin's persistent attempts are reaching them with various tools.

“Ooh yeah, tease it” Gavin drawled, eyes slipping shut as the glorious sensation.

“ _T-e-a-s-e I-t_ ” Ray repeated, drawing out each letter and making his voice deeper than Gavin’s.

“ _Ooh,_ _tease it, love, get on in there_ ” Gavin said, deepening his voice even more and attempting to make it sound more husky and sexual.

The lads burst out laughing, Ray having to pause playing his game as he pretended to wipe a tear away.

“Calm down, you’re shaking the whole couch” Jack chastised, but Gavin could hear the grin in his voice.

The front door opened then, the two other gents coming in and ditching keys and wallets on the side table by the door.

“Look Geoffrey!” Gavin announced, rolling on his back and exposing his stomach again.

“Holy dicks, dude, and here I was thinking you were faking it the whole time” Geoff teased, coming over and rubbing his mate’s belly.

“You should name it” Ray declared “that would be hilarious”

“I vote for the name _Edgar_ ” Ryan offered

“You are not naming my egg _Edgar_ ” Geoff glared at Ryan playfully.

“ _Your_ egg?” The other men all said in unison

“I’m Gavin’s mate, so I’m kinda like the father” Geoff defended his logic

“Imagine having 6 fathers. The dad jokes would be endless” Ray deadpanned

“We are _all_ his mates, so it should be a vote” Ryan reasoned

“It’s _my_ egg growing in _my_ body. If it’s being named; I’m choosing it” Gavin overruled, sitting up to let Geoff sit down beside him. Geoff put his arm over Gavin's shoulders, the other hand still gently resting on Gavin's stomach.

“Well pick a good name, like Pepe, or Lonk from Pennsylvania” Ray said

Gavin rolled his eyes, but then pursed his lips in consideration.

And then the perfect name came to him.

“James Fink”

“Oh dear lord…” Geoff groaned

“I like it” Ryan grinned, a little too sinisterly for Gavin's liking.

“Yeah you _would_ ” Geoff scoffed “does it really have to be _Fink_?” he whined

“I like it” Gavin grinned up at the ram “and it’s not going to hatch into an actual person with that name, so it doesn’t really matter”

“I guess so” Geoff grumbled, nuzzling Gavin's neck and pressing a kiss there. Gavin snickered, papping Geoff softly on the head.

“So; only about a week and a half to go” Jack said, squeezing Gavin’s leg reassuringly.

“Mmhmm, give or take. It couldn't be over soon enough” Gavin smiled happily

Hopefully the worst of the season’s symptoms were behind him and it would be smooth sailing till the lay

\--

For the next few days Geoff, Ryan, Jack and Michael took turns staying home to keep an eye on their mate.

Despite Ray’s insistence that he was responsible enough, Geoff refused to let him have a 'turn' alone with Gavin. Ray kept trying to convince the ram, but Geoff would only have to mention the incident with the _washing machine and the bubble bath liquid_ and Ray would drop it for a while.

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, Gavin only having about 4 days to go before laying, and he was resting on the couch, absently rubbing his distended belly while watching TV.

The egg was more or less full size now, Gavin unable to fit any of his regular pants and shirts and instead opting to wear an extra-long t-shirt with only his regular underwear underneath.

He had once borrowed a dress from Dan’s mate back in England, and it was so significantly more comfortable than egg season clothing that was so poorly designed by companies just trying to cash in. he didn’t have any dresses currently, but the shirt was essentially the same thing with the same freeing feeling.

Despite it being the weekend Ryan was on Gavin duty, Ray having gone to spend the day with Jeremy while Michael helped Jack with the weekly food shop.

Geoff was up in the office, but he was more or less shut away to do achievement hunter business. Ryan had offered to stay home instead of going out to do some shopping so that Geoff could focus and not be worrying about what Gavin was up to.

The bird was more than happy to just relax with the remote in hand, it being more of a pain to move around anyway. His joints and muscles were _more_ than unimpressed with the egg's weight, giving Gavin grief for the slightest effort.

It was at the stage where Gavin found himself deciding between getting up to take a leak, or just wet himself and keep watching his show.

He was a little disappointed that he had more pride than letting that happen.

He grumbled as he got up, swinging his legs off the sofa and then performing a weird contortion to get to his feet.

Ryan looked up from his IPad, one eyebrow nudging up in question.

“Just need to pee” Gavin reassured

“You need help up the stairs?” Ryan asked. Gavin was about to accept but then paused.

Ryan had been managing to catch up on sleep since Gavin's vomiting had stopped, and even though helping the bird to the bathroom would be nothing in the grand scheme of things, Gavin still tried to not make the bull get up if not needed.

“I’ll manage” he said with a smile, Ryan bobbing his head as Gavin turned and headed down the hall.

He had reached the ‘waddle’ stage of his season, having to almost completely lean back to subsidise the weight of his belly. This made his gait look weird and rather funny when he caught himself in a mirror.

He made it to the top of the stairs, but then paused to catch his breath. He tried to reach back for a quick scratch, but couldn’t quite make it.

Sighing, unamused at not being able to reach, he decided to try another way, reaching an arm behind and under to try reach that way. He almost had it, adding the other arm in the regular up and over.

Only he must have put a little too much effort into it, because a wave of lightheadedness hit him.

“Whoa” he breathed, swaying slightly and reaching a hand out to use the wall for support.

He was used to the odd moment of dizziness, but this seemed different, lasting a little too long. Long enough to make him concerned.

He started to call for Ryan, hoping to not sound too panicked and worry the bull, but he didn’t even hear the noise leave his lips before he felt the hard jolt of him dropping to his knees and then darkness blossoming over his vision.

-  


… _Gav! Gavin! Can you hear me?!..._

_…honey, Gavvy, can you hear us?..._

_…what the hell happened?..._

_…he was perfectly normal a second ago, fuck, I should have followed him…_

_…Gav?..._

Gavin could feel a strong arm around his shoulders, could feel a worried heart beat against his cheek that matched the worried tones of the voices.

His mate’s voices

Why were they worried?

“W-Whuh?” he breathed, nose scrunching up at the throbbing in his head.

“Gav! Can you hear me?” Ryan’s voice was on the verge of becoming panicked.

_Had he caused that?_

“Rye?” he asked, eyes slowly opening to the site of Geoff and Ryan hovering close, eyebrows pinched with concern and fear in their eyes.

“Gavin, are you in any pain?” Geoff asked, his voice more controlled and steady.

“Pain?” Gavin asked, confused.

He was disoriented, but the ache in his body wasn’t any different than the recent standard “I don’t…” he trailed off. He couldn’t remember what had happened, looking around trying to piece the situation together.

They were by the top of the stairs, Gavin on his knees but leaning against Ryan who was knelt beside him, the bull’s arms supporting him. Geoff was knelt in front of Gavin, one hand resting on one of the bird’s thighs and the other on his shoulder.

“We need to call Jack, or an ambulance, _someone_ ” Ryan said, voice strained.

“Do you know where you are?” Geoff asked Gavin, still trying to assess the situation.

“Home” Gavin said, the inflection almost a question at the end like he might somehow have it wrong “what happened?”

“We heard a heavy thump, then I heard Ryan come rushing up the stairs and opened the door to see you kneeling, leaning on the wall and…” Geoff said, eyes glazing over slightly as he recounted what he had seen.

“I was going to pee” Gavin said, words coming out kind of slow as his brain was rebooting “I tried to itch, and I duno…”

“You tried to itch your back?” Geoff asked. Gavin bobbed his head

“Yeah, I guess I got a little light headed” he said.

“Geoff, what if when he fell down he…” Ryan trailed off, arms tightening around Gavin ever so slightly to hold him closer.

It only just occurred to Gavin that he would have had to fall to get from standing to kneeling, and if he had blacked out then it wouldn’t have been gentle.

And with his current season…

He practically heard the windows log in noise as his brain reconnected

“m-my egg!” he squeaked, arms curling protectively around his stomach, terrified he might have damaged it somehow.

He had heard tales of bird-brids falling and damaging their eggs during season. He had heard what that could lead to, what a broken egg could cause for the hybrid…

“Gavin, I need you to take a deep breath”

Gavin hadn’t realised his breath was beginning to heave until Geoff commanded that, hands squeezing the birds shoulders to try ground him. Neither of them wanted Gavin to have a panic attack right now.

“Geoff, what if-”

“Shh. You need to breathe deeply and try stay calm” Geoff said, eyes locking with Ryan’s for a second to communicate the same idea to the bull “we are going to help you into the bedroom. We’ll get you comfortable while I call Jack. He’ll come back and check you over”

Gavin nodded, willing away his bodies need to tremble with anxiety.

“Can you feel _any_ pain?” Geoff asked again as Ryan helped ease Gavin properly onto his knees.

Gavin ran his mind over his body, but still couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary, the throb in his skull having even dissipated.

“N-no, I don’t feel any” he stuttered nervously, Geoff nodding before the gents slowly guided Gavin to his feet and then into the master bedroom and over to the bed.

Gavin hated that cold wash of anxiety down his spine, doing his best to hold his mind together as he sat down on the edge of the bed before scooting back and angling to lean back on the headboard.

Ryan pulled the duvet up over Gavin's legs as Geoff fished his phone from his pocket, only having to do the smallest of thumb flicks before putting it to his ear.

Gavin could feel his mind trying to distance itself from his body, to take a step back and protect itself the best it could. He became really aware of it when Geoff put his phone away and Gavin realised he hadn’t caught any of the brief conversation.

“Jack and Michael are on their way back, they’ll be here soon” Geoff said, Gavin endlessly thankful for the smooth calm tone in his voice.

He reached out slightly, Geoff catching his hand, sitting on the edge of the bed and soothing rubbing the back of Gavin's knuckles slowly.

Gavin tried to focus on the sensation, grounding himself with it.

Ryan was standing awkwardly beside Geoff, wringing the hem of his shirt in his hands nervously. Gavin watched the motion and wanted to cry.

He had fucked up twice.

He had potentially damaged his egg, and he could only imagine how Ryan would be blaming himself for this, for not going with Gavin to the bathroom despite the hundreds of times the bird had done it alone the past few days.

Gavin could practically see the sleep Ryan had caught up on being thrown out the window because he had made a misguided attempt to let his mate have a break from fussing over the bird.

The fact that Gavin no longer had to carry his pain alone was both a blessing and a curse.

-

Gavin tracked Jack's hand as it moved gently over his stomach, the cool metal of the stethoscope leaving ghost imprints on his warm skin.

Jack's look was thoughtful as he focused on what he was listening too, his other hand pressing softly against Gavin's belly that must tell Jack some snippet of information that Gavin didn’t have the mind space to even ponder what it was right now.

“Well, I’m satisfied that your egg is in the same condition as when you woke up this morning” Jack finally announced, the ball of tension in Gavin's stomach melting to match the sigh of relief from the other men in the room.

Michael had called Ray on their way back to the house, and Jeremy had driven the hare back without hesitation, Gavin happy to let him stay while Jack checked the bird over.

Ray was sitting at the foot of the bed, Jeremy hugged to one side and Michael to the other. Geoff and Ryan stood beside the bed, Geoff wrapping an arm around Ryan’s waist and giving him a soft peck on the cheek. Ryan was now significantly less stressed than a moment ago.

“I didn’t hurt it?” Gavin asked Jack, hands resting over his belly while Jack moved the stethoscope to Gavin's chest to check his heart.

“The only thing you probably hurt was your knees; you would have dropped a lot of weight on them” Jack said, a soft smile of reassurance as he was satisfied with Gavin's condition and put the tool back in his paramedic's bag.

“So it was just dizziness?” Geoff asked. Jack nodded.

“He might have just exerted himself a tad too much when he tried to scratch himself and got light headed as a result. The compensation would have caught him off guard” Jack explained “based on what they said you probably didn’t fully black out unconscious, what with them hearing you hit the deck and then respond again in that amount of time” Jack said to Gavin now.

Gavin let out a huff of relief, resting his head back against the headboard.

“As long as James Fink is ok” Gavin smiled, the herd laughing and leaving Jeremy to look confused.

“James fink?” the glider asked Ray quietly, but they all heard, making everyone but Geoff laughed harder

“I’ll have to tell you about Geoffrey Fink some time” Michael snickered, Geoff grumbling unamused.

“Ok; everyone out now. I want Gavin to rest for a while” Jack announced, making shooing motions with his hands.

“Nooo, you can’t kick us out now!” Michael whined “I needa' be here for my boi!”

“Purring _does_ promote healing” Jeremy offered as he and Ray got up “it’s something to do with the frequency”

“You heard the man!” Michael grinned, quickly crawling across the bed to snuggle against Gavin who smiled, rolling onto his side so the cat could slot up against his back.

“Fine” Jack said after a moment of consideration “but I’m putting you in charge of making sure Gavin rests properly and wants for nothing”

“Aye-aye, sir!” Michael confirmed, presenting and nuzzling into the back of Gavin's shoulders, beginning to rumble against the bird’s back as his tail curled over Gavin's legs

The rest of the men in the room wished Gavin a good rest before filtering out, Jack clicking the door shut behind them.

Gavin sighed out the last of his tension, getting nice and comfortable before closing his eyes.

Then he opened them again.

“Is this a bad time to mention that I still really need to pee?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> literally me terrorising my poor bird son
> 
> don't worry, it's not entirely me just being evil to my gentle birb child; there is a reason for it and not anything sinister
> 
> just trust me, my guy, it will be good
> 
> maybe only one or two more chapters to go, depending on how much i put in each
> 
> i'm pretty sure it's obvious that i post these as i write, so even i don't know exactly how this will go down lmao
> 
> i have one more fic in mind for this au, but there will be more afterwards. i love my hybrid children more than chicken nuggets. which is an impressive feat, trust me
> 
> also thinking of merging this au with the fake ah crew one for some fics. leme know if you'd be down for that my dudes


	9. Storms And The Shit They Cause

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hweh hweh hweh
> 
> i apologize in advance
> 
> also i don't have an amazing mental image of the rooster teeth buildings and how they are laid out, so forgive any mapping issues and just go with the flow. suspend your disbelief, if you please
> 
> go forth

A storm was passing over Austin come Tuesday, rain bucketing down and even the occasional rumble of thunder.

Achievement hunter was working on a big tournament with Funhaus which meant that all the hunters had to be there.

Which meant that Gavin would have to stay at home with Ray alone

Geoff was not having it

“You’re coming with us to the office today, Gav” Geoff casually mentioned while the herd was eating breakfast.

“Wot?” Gavin asked, looking up confused

“if you can’t stay here, then you’ll just have to come with us”

“But you said you were _finally_ ok with me babysitting Gavin!” Ray whined, Gavin frowning at him calling it ‘babysitting’

“That was until the storm hit. The roads will be hectic and even dangerous; if we need to get back here in a hurry we could be held up for hours trying to reach you” Geoff said, eyeing the hare with a level stare

“So I’ll call an ambulance if he so much as stubs a toe” Ray said, then added quietly “I’m not a toddler”

Geoff sighed, eyes softening, but Gavin could see he wouldn’t be relenting on this decision.

The whole blackout thing on Sunday had really freaked him out. Gavin had still yet to see that knot of worry ease up behind Ryan’s eyes, the bull resting his head in a hand as he pushed his cereal around his bowl with tired energy.

“You can come too; you can watch me there and we can spend some time together. You can kick shoes at Burnie for me” Gavin smiled at Ray, who perked up.

“I guess that works” the hare smiled. Geoff shot Gavin a proud smile when Ray wasn’t looking.

The herd all got ready and then divided up between the truck and Ryan's car. Michael and Ray went with Geoff in the truck, Jack giving Gavin the front passenger’s seat in Ryan's car while the bull drove, the lion getting in the back.

Ryan’s car had a low set, but had much more legroom and more comfortable chairs than the truck.

Ryan rest his hand on Gavin's leg while he drove, Gavin winding their fingers together as he watched the heavy rain blasting against the window.

When they reached the Roosterteeth lot, Jack got out first and held an umbrella while Ryan helped Gavin from the car, the bird linking one arm with Ryan and the other resting over his belly.

He wasn’t impressed with having to wear pants again, but the XL leggings he had found in a discount bin were comfortable enough.

They made it into the building, Michael whining about having gotten wet from Ray holding the umbrella too high as they headed to the AH office.

Jeremy was already there, looking up from his computer and beaming when he saw Ray.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here today!” he grinned, getting up and swooping the hare off his feet in a big hug. Ray laughed, the noise turning into a giggle when Jeremy spun them in a circle.

“Euch, you don’t need to shove it in my face” Geoff grumbled, giving Jeremy a small glare and probably trying to decide if he should kick his ass as a show of strength to Ray.

But Jeremy was pretty swole, as Ray put it, and would probably actually have a fighting chance against the older ram.

Geoff would probably sulk for months if he lost a dominance fight against Jeremy.

“We _do_ have a lot of work to get through today, so maybe hold off on the smooching till lunch” Jack smiled, setting the bag of Gavin's supplies down on the couch.

He had packed ample food, every kind of charger for every piece of technology Gavin had, and some spare clothes should the bird require them. You never know when you might need a wardrobe change during a season.

While Geoff had a vinegar-less whine at Jack for being so fine with Jeremy fawning over Ray, Gavin and Ryan set up a small spot for Gavin to curl up in on the couch while the others worked, Ryan running cords for Gavin’s laptop and cell phone charger.

The door opened and Lindsay entered, rough coat collie ears and tail presented, followed by Meg.

Only when the girls saw Gavin was there they squealed excitedly, Meg’s serval features sprouting and Lindsay’s tail wagging like mad.

“Oh my god look how big you are!” Meg squeaked, the girls quickly coming over to Gavin.

“You look ready to pop!” Lindsay grinned, the pair both resting their hands on Gavin's stomach without invitation.

Gavin didn’t mind though, snickering and lifting his shirt and jacket so they could see the full extent of his egg belly. They both gasped and rubbed his stomach while giggling.

“You have to have lunch with us today!” Meg demanded “you have to tell us all about what it’s like!”

“And I hear rubbing a mom-to-be’s belly is good luck!” Lindsay added, comically rubbing Gavin’s bump.

“hold up, ladies, I’m in charge of looking after him today, so if you have any requests you have to file the correct paper work in triplicate before I’ll consider adding it to the schedule” Ray interrupted, coming over to them and draping his arms over their shoulders.

“Wow; Geoff is actually letting you watch him?” Meg asked, a mischievous glint in her eye

“I thought I heard something about a mix up with dishwasher detergent and bubble mixture” Lindsay offered, equal deviousness in her smile.

“It was a washing machine and bubble bath, actually, and Geoff already agreed so no take backs” Ray corrected, guiding Gavin onto his couch spot and snuggling up beside his mate.

Gavin just snickered

“I’ll see you girls at lunch” he winked, Ray pouting exaggeratedly as Lindsay and Meg moved through into the other room with a small victorious wave.

The day progressed easily, Ray and Gavin spending some time on the couch until the hunters all began shouting at their computers during game recording.

When it did begin Gavin wanted a less hectic environment to chill in, so he and Ray headed out of the office and strolled around the building, chatting with other roosterteeth employees who weren’t busy and inevitably having more people cooing and petting his stomach tenderly in awe.

The rain was still going like crazy outside come lunchtime, but Geoff and Ryan decided they would fare the weather to go get something for lunch.

Gavin was happy with what Jack had packed, and he sat with the girls and Burnie in the break room, eating and chatting.

Burnie was also in the frame of mind that Ray had, making jokes and teasing Gavin about being ‘pregnant’ and asking if he was going to eat the placenta.

“That is _well_ minging” Gavin grimaced, absently rubbing his stomach as Lindsay let him lean against her so he wasn’t bending forward slightly over his belly.

“My aunt did that; she ate the placenta from her second pregnancy” Meg said “apparently it’s like liver”

“Which is also gross” Lindsay commented “besides, there won’t be a placenta, right?”

“Nah, just the egg and a whole lot of gunk like egg sac fluid and stuff” he said, eyebrows dipping slightly at another small cramp.

He had been feeling them occasionally over the past few hours, but being this close to laying day meant it was pretty normal. Meg noticed the slight facial expression change of his though.

“You ok, Gav?” she asked, not a whole lot of concern just mostly curiosity.

“Yeah, just some cramping, it happens by this stage so no worries” he said

And then he felt another one that was _much_ stronger and definitely not to be expected. Both Meg and Burnie noticed his face this time from their places on the opposite side of the table.

“You sure? You looked a little pained that time” Burnie asked, eyebrows pushing together and matching Meg’s new expression of concern.

He didn’t know what had caused that one and why it was bigger than the previous ones.

“Uh, yeah, it’s still at least a day or two till laying time. It’s probably just gas or something” he said with a reassuring smile, then braced an arm on the table to push himself to his feet.

He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut as the motion made another cramp hit, slightly stronger than the previous but deeper in his abdomen, lower down…

“Whoa, what’s going on?” Lindsay asked, worried as she quickly stood and awkwardly held her hands out in case she had to help Gavin who was now curling forward and leaning on the table, Meg and Burnie standing also and waiting for more information on the situation.

“that was… stronger than expected” Gavin panted, letting out a small noise through his noise as another cramp hit, thankfully far less painful.

“You aren’t laying now, are you?” Meg asked, moving around the table to stand on his other side

Gavin was about to reject the idea when he felt a dampness in his pants. He momentarily feared he had peed himself, and then realised it was a little bit of laying fluid that had escaped and been caught in his underwear.

_oh god_

“I… I think I am?” Gavin said “But I’ve never laid so early in the season, there should at least be another day” he added quickly, feeling a little panicked.

If he was already laying, if the egg was already getting ready to come out, then he wouldn’t be able to get driven back to the house to do it. If there was a possibility of being caught in traffic for too long, he wouldn’t even dare try it.

But he had none of his nesting materials, he didn’t have the nest he had already built at home, and he didn’t have a quiet warm place to do it comfortably.

“What do we do? We need to find Jack so he can take you home, yeah?” Burnie asked, his voice calm and calculated, very much used to staying focused in stressful or unexpected situations.

Gavin shook his head, one hand gently rubbing his belly during another cramp.

“No time” he panted “this could take one hour, could take several, but I need to not be moving as much as possible”

“What do you need?” the bison asked, pulling out his phone and dialling a number.

“Quite place, somewhere I won’t be disturbed. Blankets, cushions” he said, then added “and towels. Many towels”

“Lindsay; find the hunters that are still here and let them know what’s happening. Then find all the blankets and cushions you can find. Even if they are merch” Burnie commanded, phone to his ear while it rang “you can use my office, Gav”

Gavin looked up at the bison confused.

“But don’t you need it for work?” he asked while Meg looped an arm through his and helped support him.

“I can work from my laptop or steal Gus’s computer” Burnie said with a smile, and then his eyes focused on something in the ether as the other end answered the call “hey Geoff… no I was just calling because I you need to head back here _now_ … no he’s fine, but the eggs on its way”

Gavin gave a small huffed laugh at the sound of the ram freaking out slightly on the other end as Burnie led him and Meg to his office. The pace was slow as he tried to jostle his stomach as little as possible, and he could feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment as employees watched them confused as they passed.

When Burnie ended the call with Geoff he began immediately flicking texts off

“Geoff said they are a little caught in traffic, but promises they won’t be more than ten minutes” he said as he jogged ahead a few steps as they reached his office, ducking in and moving a few things around before Gavin and Meg reached the door.

Aside from Burnie’s desk and computer, there was a long sofa, his desk chair, and a tall potted plant in the corner. Gavin ran his eyes around the room, satisfied it would be quiet and warm enough, now trying to decide how to set up his impromptu nest.

“If you move the plant and pull the sofa this way more, I can nest against the back wall and that corner” Gavin said, pointing at the various things.

While Burnie began the rearrangement, Ray and Jack came quickly down the alley of offices towards them, Gavin feeling a swell of relief to see his mates. Two were better than none.

“Dude, you weren’t supposed to shove that thing out for a few more days!” Ray said, latching onto Gavin's other arm opposite Meg.

“I’m hardly _thrilled_ with this, Ray” Gavin said dryly, the persistent cramps and aching joints having quickly dissolved his humour in the moment.

“it’s ok, we can make this work and you’ll be cradling your egg before you know it” Jack gave a reassuring smile, holding Gavin's jaw gently in his hands and pressing a sweet kiss to the birds forehead.

Lindsay and Michael came jogging up now, arms loaded up with various blankets and pillows. Barbara was behind them, a stack of towels in her hold.

“This is everything we’ve found so far” Lindsay panted having probably run all over the building “are they ok?”

“As long as you don’t mind getting egg fluid on any of them, they’ll be fine” Gavin said.

“Don’t need to worry about that, you can get these as messy as you need” Barbara said, tail swishing behind her and ears sat tall on her head.

Jack arranged all the materials into a nest as similar in structure as the one at home, laying the cushions down first in a long oval border, and then layering the blankets over top till a thick bed was created. A few towels were set over it, while the rest sat to the side, ready for use.

Jack then helped Gavin over, the bird slowly lowering down to his knees and then further so he was lying down on his side, the last unused cushion being set under his head.

Meg Lindsay and Barbara dispersed now, Barbara quickly letting the surrounding offices know to try their best to keep any unnecessary noise to a minimum and why.

Burnie hung around a minute longer to make sure everything was as needed, before redirecting his phone so calls would connect to his cell phone and then heading off to leave the four mates alone.

Gavin drew his legs up slightly so he was curled gently around his belly, small whimpers and whines being drawn out each time a cramp pulled at his gut. Jack sat on the ground beside the nest, soothingly running his fingers through Gavin's hair while Ray sat on the sofa, legs drawn up and chin resting on the arm to look at his aching mate. Michael sat in Burnie’s computer chair, hugging his knees and waiting.

Gavin couldn’t really say he was in _pain_ , more just _extremely_ uncomfortable, like every cell in his body was straining and sore. His hips ached as they slowly pushed out slightly to make way for the egg, and his muscles were very vocal about how they were gearing up to push it out.

Gavin practically counted the minutes, waiting for Geoff and Ryan to get back to the office. He needed all his mates, needed to feel all of them close, and waiting was the worst kind of tension.

Ten minutes came and there was still no sign.

“Why aren’t they here?’ Gavin whined anxiously, fisting his hands in the blankets.

“Shh, they’ll be here soon. The traffic is just a little thick with the rain” Jack reassured, voice soft and soothing.

The twenty minute mark passed, Gavin already covered in a sheen of sweat from the strain of preparing to lay and the strain of not having his mates with him.

Jack and Michael helped him change back into his oversized shirt-dress, Jack taking the opportunity to pat Gavin’s skin down with a damp cloth to help ease the hot flush. Gavin held the kneeling position for a while, sitting on his calves to help ease some of the pressure of lying down on his side for so long.

The three men continued to sooth and reassure Gavin, breathing gentle praises and preening him softly when his shoulders became too itchy to keep his wings hidden.

At half an hour Gavin could see that even Jack was beginning to get worried about their missing mates, hiding it from his face well as he calmly flicked a text their way.

Gavin watched his phone like a hawk till the screen lit up with a reply.

“What does it say?” he asked urgently, desperate for some kind of update.

Jack frowned at the screen and Gavin felt his knot of anxiety grow.

“They say a road was closed from flooding so they have to take another route” Jack said, quickly looking up to reassure Gavin with a smile “don’t worry, sweetie, everything will be ok”

“I need them, I need all of you!” Gavin whined pitifully, arms wrapping tight around himself as his vision blurred with tears.

The three men all moved forward, curling as close to Gavin without hurting him, all three of them presenting from some silent pull. Gavin wrapped his wings around them, sobbing from stress and aching muscles, and finding that both of the felines were purring, Jack's much deeper and a more powerful rumble and Michael’s.

At forty-five minutes Gavin knew it was time for the egg to be laid.

He was still on his knees but leaning forward slightly, hands braced against the blankets and head hanging as he whined and rocked forward and back slowly in a way he had learnt was quite comforting.

He didn’t want to do this without his full herd, and he barely made it a minute before he knew he couldn't repress the need anymore.

“It’s time” he whimpered, and he felt the energy of the other men spike at the declaration “I can’t hold it any longer”

“You don't have to wait for Geoff and Ryan. If you need to lay, then we’ll be here the whole time for you” Jack said, helping Gavin as he turned to face the room more.

Gavin felt a fat tear roll down his cheek, but then saw Ray’s ear prick suddenly, the hare looking sharply to the door as fast foot falls began to approach.

Gavin felt himself subconsciously hold his breath, and then let out the most desperate and relieved whimper as the forms of his two missing mates appeared in the doorway.

“Gavin!” they both breathed, overwhelmed with their own relief as they surged into the room and dropped to their knees, Jack shuffling to the side so Geoff could take his place with Ryan beside him.

“I d-didn’t think you’d m-make it” Gavin stammered through his sobs of joy, locking his fingers around Geoff's arms, who did the say to Gavin.

“We’ll always be here for you” Geoff said, voice cracking slightly and curled horns sprouting from his skull as he presented, Ryan doing the same.

“Ok, Gav, it’s time for you to start pushing” Jack said, both him and Ryan placing a hand each on one of Gavin's shoulders.

Gavin took a deep breath, taking in the beautiful mix of his herd’s scent.

“Ok, here we go…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE MORE CHAPTER, OH SHIT SON
> 
> /so much fuckn angst in this one to last a lifetime/
> 
> imagine if i had just finished the fic here, though, and left it with this ending
> 
> i'd be furious at myself lmao
> 
> but anyway
> 
> hweh hweh hweh


	10. Scratch That last Part

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END IS NIGH
> 
> go forth

Gavin’s whole body shook with the exertion, a long whine escaping through his nose.

“That’s it, sweetie, you’re doing so well” Jack encouraged, swiping away the tears under Gavin's eyes with his thumb.

“It’s… almost…out” Gavin panted, hands gripping Geoff's shoulders. He refused to let any of them watch the egg emerge; he didn’t want that image burnt into their minds.

“You’re doing stunningly, Gav” Ryan praised, Gavin giving him a feeble smile before gritting his teeth and giving one last shove, feeling the widest part of the egg escape and letting it drop the few inches to the nest below.

It was done

Gavin let out a groan of unbelievable relief, still clinging to Geoff a moment longer while his chest heaved. The herd all let out noises of congratulation, reaching out to give Gavin comforting touches.

“You were absolutely amazing” Geoff smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Gavin's forehead before the gents helped him sit back against the wall, Ray and Michael shuffling to sit beside him.

Gavin felt drained, worn out and droopy from all the stress and effort of the last hour. But there was still that last buzz down his spine

_Egg-egg-egg-egg_

He drew his shirt back to reveal the smooth, baby blue egg sitting on the towel, glistening with laying fluid.

The herd all watched it with an atmosphere of awe as Gavin sleepily reached out, swaddling it in the towel and drawing in up into his lap, legs creating a diamond shape for it to sit in. he gently rubbed away the fluid from the exposed shell, instinctually checking it for cracks or deformities.

_Egg-egg-egg-egg-egg_

It was strange; usually he would have been extremely uncomfortable having anyone as close to him as the herd was now, but he had found his mates having many exceptions to his usual routines and this must be one of them.

That subconscious feeling of safety, that feeling that they weren’t something to be feared or wary of.

“Egg” Gavin sighed happily, pushing the towel aside slightly to let his mates have a better look.

“It’s so pretty” Michael breathed

“You didn’t tell us it was going to be blue” Ray chuckled softly. Gavin huffed a tired laugh, resting his head on Ray’s shoulder and feeling Michael rest his own on Gavin's shoulder.

“Little James Fink” Geoff grinned, sitting in a more comfortable position and resting a hand on Gavin's shin.

Gavin was glad none of them had tried to touch his egg.

He had warned them about the bond he would have with it for some time after laying, and despite his comfort with their proximity, he didn’t think he would be able to quash the defensive reaction should they try feel it.

“M’ egg” Gavin said with adoration, voice soft with his lack of energy. He fought as his eyes tried to slip shut though.

“You can sleep, honey, we’ll watch out for you and your egg” Jack said, both he and Ryan pressing against Geoff gently in the moment of calmness after the insanity that was the previous weeks and laying.

“Egg?” was all Gavin could say, the only thing his groggy brain could produce. He had never had a chance to sleep after laying. Despite Dan hovering somewhere in the house back in England, he could never calm his protection instincts enough.

But this time?

“We’ll make sure no one touches it. We’ll protect you” Ryan smiled softly.

And Gavin knew they would, so he let himself fall away into peaceful rest.

-

When Gavin had woken thirty minutes later, the egg's spell had faded away, his mind connecting to the logic of not having to guard an unfertilised egg anymore.

He gave all his mates a chance to feel the perfect smooth shell of the egg, to feel how it weighed in their arms and the gentle curve of its shape.

He didn’t want to keep Burnie out of his office any longer after that, bundling the egg into a makeshift pouch he had crudely stitched together during an egg season a few years ago. Bugger paying for an expensive store one that was no grander than his repurposed bed-sheet one.

The herd then tidied up the nest materials and supplies, most of the towels and blankets mucky and in need of a thorough cycle in an industrial washing machine.

Ray and Gavin slipped back to the achievement hunter office while the others returned things to where they belonged and tracked down Burnie to let him know the outcome.

Gavin was still far too exhausted to really see anyone right now, the two lads huddling on the couch till the rest of the herd returned and they could go home.

He held the egg close on the drive home, absently drawing small patterns on the shell while he gazed out the window.

When they arrived, they quickly ditched their things inside before heading around to the back yard, Geoff pulling aside the cover they had put over the small hole prepared in the back corner.

“Good bye James fink” Gavin smiled, looking over the egg one last time before he gently set it into the hole, nodding to Ryan who replaced the dirt that had been set in a small pile next to the hole.

“This is weird. I’ve never had a service for an egg my mate laid before” Ray said, grinning at Gavin.

“There will be plenty more to come, unfortunately” Gavin sighed, a small smile playing on his lips anyway.

Michael made a face like he just remembered he left the oven on.

“Dude; I completely forgot till just now that this isn’t a one-time thing”

They all looked at him incredulously until ryan gave a nervous cough

“Actually, yeah, me too” Ryan admitted “when it finally hit the nest I had the thought ‘ _never again_ ’. It’s amazing what you can forget in the heat of the moment”

“Easy for some” Gavin rolled his eyes “six months and I have to do it again”

“ _We_ have to do it again” Geoff said, stepping closer and taking Gavin's hands “I promise to not get stuck in traffic next time. I’ll get a baby-backpack and put you in it. I’ll carry you everywhere”

“We can cut out a hole for your stomach to stick out of” Ray snickered

“I _will_ hold you to that, Geoffrey. You owe me for getting me that worried” Gavin said, trying to hold a stern expression but dissolving into a grin.

Geoff grinned back

“You can just pay me back in the meantime. I expect breakfast in bed every weekend” he said as they headed back around to go inside

“You can cook for me too” Michael said “bacon eggs and toast”

“Me too" Ray joined in, then added

"actually; maybe hold the eggs?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankyou so much to everyone who left comments and kudos
> 
> I am overwhelmed by the positive feedback, yall give me the warm fuzzies
> 
> expect more of my sweet hybrid children soon ~


End file.
